Orion: a celestial actor on the stage of Norse Mythology

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https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.2595-9107.2025v8n08.76291

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The constellation Orion is visible in the Nordic night sky from autumn through spring, with maximum nightly visibility in the winter months.  Its asterisms are some of the most recognizable in the night sky, and cultures across the world have encoded its asterisms and movement into myth.   The belt of Orion is called fiskikarlar (fishermen) in the old Icelandic manuscript GKS 1812 4to, which I suggest alludes to the Thor’s fishing voyage.  Early modern Icelandic manuscripts illustrate Thor in attire which resembles that of Orion in GKS 1812 4to, and his girdle contains three star-like symbols, which parallel the belt of Orion.  The belt of Orion has further been associated with three kings High, Just-as-High, and Third in folklore, and other constellations like the Hyades (ulfs keptr or wolf’s jaw in GKS 1812 4to) hint to a possible association with Fenrir and Tyr. 

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Publicado

2025-11-18

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Eckerson, R. (2025). Orion: a celestial actor on the stage of Norse Mythology. Scandia: Journal of Medieval Norse Studies, 8(08). https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.2595-9107.2025v8n08.76291

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