#billingr

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Billingr, The Maidens Father - V2 Well here we are on a Tyr’s day this time with another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic, sometimes Celtic) mythological characters.  This week it’s follow up second version of Billingr / Billing / Billinger of the Jotnar (Jotun/Giant) again. Father of ‘Billingr’s Daughter’.  His name means hermaphrodite or twins. There’s no mention of a second twin here, or of Billingr looking particularly feminine, masculine or both, so there a lot of room for interpretation give his name. Today is the Giant and more hermaphroditic looking instance of this character.. 

You can see last weeks and read his story here: https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/182086029259/norsery-rhymes-from-a-to-z-billingr-the-maidens

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Billingr’s Daughter, The Maiden Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic, sometimes Celtic) mythological characters.  This week it’s Billingr’s (Billing’s / Billinger’s ) Daughter.  Giantess of the Jotnar (Jotun/Giant). Her giant father:

V1 - https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/182086029259/norsery-rhymes-from-a-to-z-billingr-the-maidens

V2 - https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/182219251234/norsery-rhymes-from-a-to-z-billingr-the-maidens

Could alternately be one of the twin dwarfs (dwarven, dverg, dvergr) Billingr and Billinger:

https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/181679887849/norsery-rhymes-from-a-to-z-happy-thorsday

This second option would make her the only female Dwarf mentioned in the sagas.

Odin at one point narrates a story meant to speak to the fickleness of women. He encounters while traveling in disguise, a beautiful maiden, Billingr’s daughter who after some wooing from Odin, invites him to her bed later that night.  But come that evening Odin finds it guarded by great warriors, that deters him from his visit.  When he returns in the morning he finds it unguarded and goes in. But when he gets to her bedroom, instead of the maiden, he finds a female dog tied to the bedpost, lying in Bed, in her place. He’s described as more frustrated and maybe even amused than anything and doesn’t take any action against the Maiden, Billing, or the Warriors.

Not a lot is know of who all the players are or their personalities. The Warriors who guard her that night are never identified. Maybe they were some or all her family who when overhearing them, decide to guard her and and spirit her away. Or maybe the Maiden is as Odin says and leads him on, or she changes her mind. Odin strangely never assumes it was the father or Warriors and instead blames the maiden. Odin does have some special wisdom and knowledge, so it’s possible he used some runes to tell it was her. Or maybe she was able to identify Odin in his guise, or is told it’s him after agreeing to meet him and rethinks her invite. 

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Billingr, The Maidens Father Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic, sometimes Celtic) mythological characters.  This week it’s Billingr / Billing / Billinger of the Jotnar (Jotun/Giant). Father of ‘Billingr’s Daughter’.  His name means hermaphrodite or twins. There’s no mention of a second twin here, or of Billingr looking particularly feminine, masculine or both.  Today is the Giant instance of this character,but there is another way to translate it I mention below.

Odin at one point narrates a story meant to speak to the fickleness of women.  He encounters a maiden who invites him to her bed later that night.  But Odin finds it guarded by great warriors who he does not feel like killing that night.  Maybe it was a Wednesday.  When he returns in the morning he finds it unguarded, but instead of the maiden, he finds a female dog tied up by the bed in her place. He’s described as more frustrated and maybe even amused than anything and doesn’t take any action against the Maiden, Billing, or the Warriors.

I always wondered why Odin never assumes it was the father who hired the Warriors and spirited away the maiden.  Or the Warriors themselves.  Maybe they were her family.  Who knows. Odin does have some special wisdom and knowledge, so it’s possible he used some runes to tell it was her.