Vidar

In Norse mythology, Víðarr (Old Norse: [ˈwiːðɑrː], possibly meaning "wide ruler," sometimes anglicised as Vidar, Vithar, Vidarr, or Vitharr) is a god among the Æsir associated with vengeance. Víðarr is described as the son of Odin and the jötunn Gríðr and is destined to avenge his father's death by killing the wolf Fenrir during Ragnarök, a conflict he is foretold to survive. He is mentioned in both the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier sources, and the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the same century. Víðarr and Fenrir are depicted together on the Gosforth Cross. Various theories surround his figure, including links to ritual silence and proto-Indo-European mythology.

References

Poetic Edda

Víðarr is mentioned in the poems Völuspá, Vafthrúdnismál, Grímnismál, and Lokasenna.

In stanzas 54 and 55 of Völuspá, a völva tells Odin that Víðarr will avenge his father’s death during Ragnarök by stabbing Fenrir in the heart:

Then comes the mighty son of Sigfather,
Víðarr, to fight the foaming wolf;
Into the giant’s son he thrusts his sword,
Full to the heart: his father is avenged.

In Vafthrúdnismál (stanzas 51 and 53), Vafþrúðnir states that Víðarr and his brother Váli will reside in the "temples of the gods" after Surtr's fire subsides, and Víðarr will avenge Odin by tearing Fenrir's jaws apart:

Stanza 51:

"In the house of the gods will Víðarr and Váli dwell,
When the fires of Surtr have subsided;
Móði and Magni will possess Mjölnir
When Vingnir falls in battle."

Stanza 53:

"The wolf shall fall, the father of men,
And this shall Víðarr avenge;
He will tear the terrible jaws apart,
And thus slay the wolf."

In Grímnismál (stanza 17), Odin describes Víðarr’s residence:

Rushwood grows and tall grass
Far in Víðarr's land,
And there the son, on horseback, proclaims—
That he will avenge his father.

In Lokasenna, Loki mocks the Æsir for not welcoming him at a feast in Ægir’s hall. Odin concedes and orders Víðarr to rise and serve Loki a drink. Víðarr complies, and Loki toasts the Æsir before beginning his insults.

Prose Edda
Víðarr is mentioned in the Prose Edda books Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál.

In Gylfaginning, references to Víðarr appear in chapters 29, 51, and 53. In chapter 29, Víðarr is introduced by the enthroned figure High as "the silent god" with a thick shoe. He is described as nearly as strong as Thor, and the gods rely on him in times of great difficulty.

In chapter 51, High predicts that the wolf Fenrir will devour Odin during Ragnarök, and Víðarr will avenge him by stepping on the monster’s lower jaw with one foot, gripping its upper jaw with one hand, tearing its mouth apart, and killing it. Víðarr’s "thick shoe" is made from all the leftover leather pieces that humans cut off their own shoes at the toes and heels, which the god has collected over time. Therefore, anyone wishing to aid the gods should discard such pieces.

In chapter 54, after Ragnarök and the world's rebirth, it is stated that Víðarr and his brother Váli will survive both the surging seas and the firestorm unleashed by Surtr. They will then dwell on the plain of Iðavöllr, "where the city of Asgard once stood."

According to Skáldskaparmál, Víðarr was one of the twelve male gods seated on thrones at a feast hosted by Ægir. At one point in the dialogue between the skaldic god Bragi and Ægir, Snorri himself begins to discuss the myths in an euhemeristic manner, explaining that the historical equivalent of Víðarr was the Trojan hero Aeneas, who survived the Trojan War and later performed "great deeds."

Further in the book, various names for Víðarr are listed, including "the silent Æsir," "owner of the iron shoe," "enemy and slayer of Fenrisulf," "the avenging Æsir of the gods," "Æsir dwelling in the father's homeland," "son of Odin," and "brother of the Æsir." In the story of Thor’s visit to the hall of the jötunn Geirröd, Gríðr is identified as the mother of "Víðarr the Silent," who aids Thor on his journey. In chapter 33, Ægir, after returning from Asgard and attending a feast with the gods, invites them to his hall in three months. Fourteen gods attend the feast, including Víðarr. In chapter 75, Víðarr's name appears twice in a list of the Æsir.

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Archaeological Records
The Gosforth Cross, dating to the mid-11th century in Cumbria, England, has been interpreted as combining scenes of the Christian Last Judgement with the Norse Ragnarök. The cross depicts various figures in the Borre style, including a man with a spear facing a monstrous head. One of the man’s feet is pressed into the beast’s split tongue and lower jaw, while a hand grips the upper jaw. This scene is interpreted as Víðarr fighting Fenrir. Alternatively, the depiction has been seen as a metaphor for Jesus’ victory over Satan.

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Theories

• Ritual Silence
  The silence attributed to Víðarr might stem from ritual abstentions often associated with acts of vengeance. For example, in Völuspá and Baldrs draumar, Váli, born solely to avenge Baldr’s death, refrains from washing his hands or combing his hair "until he has brought Baldr’s adversary to the pyre." Parallels have been drawn to chapter 31 of Tacitus’ Germania (1st century CE), where members of the Chatti tribe abstain from shaving or grooming until they have killed an enemy.

• Dumézil’s Theory
  Georges Dumézil proposed that Víðarr represents a cosmic figure derived from a Proto-Indo-European archetype. According to Dumézil, Víðarr is aligned with both vertical space—pressing his foot on the wolf’s lower jaw and gripping its upper jaw—and horizontal space, as seen in his wide stride and strong shoe. By slaying the wolf, Víðarr prevents it from destroying the cosmos, allowing the world to be restored after Ragnarök.

Dumézil interpreted Víðarr as a spatial god and supported this idea with Lokasenna, in which Víðarr, attempting to mediate a quarrel with Loki, urges the Æsir to grant Loki "his place" at the feast. Dumézil argued that this reference to spatiality would have been understood by an audience familiar with the god. Dumézil also regarded Lokasenna as a text rich in wordplay about the Æsir.

Dumézil further noted parallels between Víðarr and Vishnu in Vedic traditions, both etymologically (via the root vi) and mythologically. He cited the story of Bali and Vishnu, where Vishnu (as Vamana) tricks the evil king Bali, who had claimed dominion over the earth. Vishnu requests all the land he can traverse in three steps. Transforming into a giant, Vishnu strides across the entire sky and earth, defeating Bali and granting him immortality instead of taking a third step.

Dumézil theorised that the myths of Fenrir versus Víðarr and Bali versus Vishnu share a common origin in an Indo-European god of spatiality, similar yet distinct from the hypothetical gatekeeper god associated with Janus and Heimdallr.