Chapters 44-95 - Germanic Mythology

itself. 5 The true etymology of Múspell was probably as little known in the thirteenth
century, when Gylfaginning was written, as it is now. I shall not speak of the several
attempts made at conjecturing the definition of the word. They may all be regarded as
abortive, mainly, doubtless, for the reason that Gylfaginning's statements have
credulously been assumed as the basis of the investigation. As a word inherited from
heathen times, it occurs under the forms mutspelli and muspilli in the Old Saxon poem
Heliand and in an Old High German poem on the final judgment, 6 and there it has the
meaning of the Lord's day, the doom of condemnation, or the condemnation. Concerning
the meaning which the word had among the heathens of the North, before the time of the
authors of Völuspá and Lokasenna, all that can be said with certainty is, that the word in
the expression "Muspell's sons" has had a special reference to mythical beings who are to
appear in Ragnarok fighting there as Loki's allies, that is, on the side of the evil against
the good; that these beings were Loki's fellow-prisoners on the rocky isle where he was
chained; and that they accompanied him from there on board Naglfar to war against the
gods. As Gylfaginning makes them accompany Surt coming from the South, this must be
the result of a confounding of "Muspell's sons" with "Surt's (Suttung's) sons."
A closer examination ought to have shown that Gylfaginning's conception of
"Muspell's sons" is immensely at variance with the mythical. Under the influence of
Christian ideas they are transformed into a sort of angels of light, who appear in
Ragnarok to contend under the command of Surt "to conquer all the idols" (sigra öll
goðin - Gylfaginning 4) and carry out the punishment of the world. While Völuspá makes
them come with Loki in the ship Naglfar, that is, from the terrible rocky isle in the sea
over which eternal darkness broods, and while Lokasenna makes them come across the
Mirkwood, whose name does not suggest any region in the realm of light, Gylfaginning
tells us that they are celestial beings. Idols and giants contend with each other on Vigrid's
plains; then the heavens suddenly open up, and out of this ride in shining squadrons
"Muspell's sons" and Surt, with his flaming sword, at the head of the fylkings.
Gylfaginning is careful to keep these noble riders far away from every contact with that
mob which Loki leads to the field of battle. It therefore expressly states that they form a
fylking by themselves (Í þessum gný klofnar himinninn, og ríða þaðan Múspells synir;
Surtur ríður fyrstur, etc. . . . en Múspells synir hafa einir sér fylking, og er sú björt mjög -
ch. 51). 7 Thus they do not come to assist Loki, but to put an end to both the idols and the
mob of giants. The old giant, Surt, who, according to a heathen skald, Eyvind
Skaldaspillir, dwells in sökkdalir, in mountain grottos deep under the earth (about him,
see No. 89), is in Gylfaginning first made the keeper of the borders of "Muspellsheim,"
and then the chief of celestial hosts. But this is not the end of his promotion. In the text
5 Based on the statement in Gylfaginning 43 that Naglfari "belonged to Muspell" (Þat á Muspell), a theory
has arisen that Muspell was the name of a giant, probably identical to Surt himself (see Rudolf Simek's
Dictionary of Northern Mythology.) This theory does not take into account all uses of Muspell in Snorri's
Edda, which always indicate a place, nor the fact that Snorri fails to include Muspell in his lists of giant
names. Thus demonstrating that Snorri meant only that the ship Naglfari belongs to the world of Muspell,
which is further evidence that he confounded Muspell's sons with Surt's kin, as Rydberg argues.
6 Heliand Fitt 31, line 2591: mûdspelles megin in a phrase meaning "Muspell's men fares over men" and
Fitt 52, line 4358: Mûtspelli "Muspell comes in the dark of night, like a thief "; In the Old High German
poem Muspilli, line 57: muspille in a phrase meaning "no man can help another against the Muspell."
7 "Amid this turmoil the sky will open and from it will ride the Sons of Muspell. Surt will ride in front, etc.
…But Muspell's sons will have their own battle array; it will be very bright." Faulkes tr.