Hi!

I've become interested in the Old Norse concept of ONDVEGISSULA (the O has a tail and the U is long).

Please, what do the OND and VEGIS mean here, and what do they have to do with the notion of a high seat?

Best regards,

Simon

Sæll Simon

The meaning of the word “önd” is a very philosophical question.
I had a similar problem as I tried to translate the following part of the Völuspá:

Unz þrír kvámu
ór því liði
öflgir ok ástkir
æsir at húsi,
fundu á landi
lítt megandi
Ask ok Emblu
örlöglausa.

Önd þau né áttu,
óð þau né höfðu,
lá né læti
né litu góða;
önd gaf Óðinn,
óð gaf Hænir,
lá gaf Lóðurr
ok litu góða.

So I think not only “önd” but also the meaning of “óðr” and “lᔠmust be defined.
Önd could be easily translated as breath, but this makes not much sense in the context of Öndvegissúlur. Another meaning of önd is ghost.
In German we still find the word “Odem” which could be translated as breath of mother nature or divine breath.
It seems that this definition is also true for the latin words respiration (lat. breathing) and spirit.
So I think önd must be something in between essential live energy, breath, spirit, live force (and perhaps oxygen).
Andast (to die) could also interpreted as to loose ones sprit and andardráttr (breath) could be described as to drag a part of the global spirit (into a living being).
Lá can be translated as blood.
To define óðr is much more difficult: consciousness, fury, courage, …

Kveðja
Andreas

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