E is for Eikthyrnir, The Giver of Water – A to Z Challenge

Found on vallume.deviantart.com

This next A to Z Challenge tale I found on page 321 of a stained tome called The Dictionary of Mythology. The story of Eikthyrnir is likely familiar to some of you, anyone with a fascination in Nordic Mythology will likely have encountered it. It might not be quite as uncommon as the others I’m presenting here in this series, but its imagery is so compelling I had to share it here.

Eikthyrnir is a mighty stag that stood on the roof of Valhalla and, craning it’s neck, ate from the great Oak tree Laerad. Fluid dropped from Eikthyrnir’s antlers, and from this were birthed all the great rivers of the world.

Eikþyrnir heitir hiörtr, er stendr á höllo Heriaföðrs ok bítr af Læraðs limom; en af hans hornom drýpr i Hvergelmi, þaðan eigo vötn öll vega:

Eikthyrnir the hart is called,that stands o’er Odin’s hall,and bits from Lærad’s branches;from his horns fall drops into Hvergelmir,whence all waters rise:

When I read this I think about the Nightwalker from Princess Mononoke, a creature as large as the sky, nibbling on a mighty oak, leaking all the water of the world from its vast reach of antler. It’s beautiful imagery, a beauty rarely seen outside of Miyazaki films, but that would fit wonderfully within the pages of a fantasy novel.

k.