Chapters 44-95 - Germanic Mythology

Point by point the descriptions of Agni and Heimdall also correspond in regard to
their divine natures and attributes. Agni is the great holy white god; Heimdall is mikill
and heilagr, and is called hvíti áss (Prose Edda) or "the whitest of the Aesir"
(Þrymskviða 15). While Agni as the fire-god has golden teeth, Heimdall certainly for the
same reason bears the epithet gullintanni, "the one with the golden teeth ." Agni has
white horses. In Ulf Uggason's poem about the work of art in Hjarðarholt, 49 Heimdall
rides his horse Gulltoppur, whose name reflects its splendor. While Agni's searching eyes
can see in the distance and can penetrate the gloom of night, it is said of Heimdall that
hann sér jafnt nótt sem dag hundrað rasta frá sér. 50 While Agni perceives everything,
even the inaudible motions in the growing of herbs and animals; while he penetrates and
diffuses himself in plants and animals, it is said of Heimdall that he heyrir og það, er
gras vex á jörðu eða ull á sauðum. 51 While Agni - it is not stated by what means - is able
to produce a noise like thunder which re-echoes through both the world-halves, Heimdall
has the horn, whose sound all the world shall hear, when Ragnarok is at hand. On a
"circular path," Agni observes the beings in the world. Heimdall looks out upon the world
from Bifröst. Agni keeps his eye on the deeds of the demons, is perpetually on the lookout,
and protects the world by day and by night from dangers; Heimdall is the watchman
of the gods, vörður goða (Grímnismál), needs in his vocation as watchman less sleep than
a bird, and faithfully guards the Asa-bridge against the giants. Agni is born of several
mothers; Heimdall has mothers nine. Agni is "the fast traveller," who, in the human
abodes he visits, opens a way for prayer and sacrifice (Rigv., 7: 13, 3); 52 in Rígsþula,
Heimdall has the same epithet, "the fast traveller," röskr Stígandi, 53 as he goes from
house to house and teaches men the "runes of eternity" and "the runes of time."
The only discrepancy is in the animal symbols by which Agni and Heimdall are
designated. The bull is Agni's symbol, the ram is Heimdall's. Both symbols are chosen
from the domestic animals armed with horns, and the difference is linguistically of such a
kind, that it to some extent may be said to corroborate the evidence in regard to Agni's
and Heimdall's identity. In the old Norse poetry, Veður (wether, ram), Heimdali and the
Heimdall epithet Hallinskíði, are synonymous. The word veður, according to Fick
(Wörterbuch 3, 307), can be traced to an ancient Germanic vethru, the real meaning of
which is "yearling," a young domestic animal in general, and it is related to the Latin
vitulus and the Sanskrit vatsala, "calf." 54 If this is correct, then we also see the lines along
which one originally common symbol of a domestic animal developed into two and
among the Rigveda Indo-Europeans settled on the "yearling" of the cow, and among the
Teutons on that of the sheep. It should here be remarked that according to Ammianus
Marcellinus (XIX. 1) the tiara of the Persian kings was ornamented with a golden ram's-
49 The Húsdrápa of which fragments survive in Snorri's Edda. The circumstances of its composition are
recorded in Laxadæla Saga, ch. 29.
50 "He sees as well as by day as night, 100 rasts about in every direction."
51 "He can hear grass growing on the earth and on sheep."
52 Griffith: "brisk herdsman" (?)
53 It is unlikely this was seen as an epithet of Heimdall. Instead the poem says that "Rig strode, robust and
mature" ramman ok röstvan Ríg stíganda.
54 Watkin's Dictionary of IE Roots: "wet- suffixed wet-ru in Germanic *weth-ruz perhaps 'yearling' in OE
wether, wether. …Suffixed form *wet-olo- in Latin vitulus, calf, yearling."