A study of the relationship between Kvasir, the beverage of Norse gods in Edda and Vedic and Avestan Soma- Haoma

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Professor of Persian language and literature, Shiraz University, Iran

2 Ph.D. Candidate of Persian Language and Literature, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

10.22103/jcl.2024.22640.3694

Abstract

In the pantheon of Proto-Indo-Europeans there is a mysterious deity who is usually represented as a plant. This god- plant, from which an intoxicating beverage extracts, is called “Haoma” in Avesta and “Soma” in Vedic Sanskrit texts. But we can also trace this Indo-European deity, with other names and different figures in many other cultures related to the Indo-European race. Kvasir, the god of ancient Norse myths is one of them Whose story is mentioned in Prose Edda and Heimskringla, both written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, and in the poetry of skalds. Kvasir is a being who was created by the Æsir and Vanir gods at the conclusion of their war and then he was sacrificed by two Dwarfs in a ritual ceremony in order to by mixing his blood with honey, the mead of poetry obtain; The beverage whose drinking causes poetic inspiration and therefore the ancient Norse poets used it in order to be able to sing the heroic epics of their nation. and for this reason, it is also referred to as ‘mead of poetry’. The name of Kvasir is derived from the word “kvas”, which means strong beer. This Beverage represents in some aspects the intoxicating drink of soma- haoma. On the other hand, just as soma had been brought from the heaven by an eagle to be used by Indra, Kvasir was also snatched from the mountainous territory of Suttungr by Odin, in the form of an eagle, to offer it to

Keywords

Main Subjects

Journal of Comparative Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 01 May 2024

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics