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Norse · Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 13; Skaldskaparmal

Bifrost and the falcon cloak

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceProse Edda, Gylfaginning 13; Skaldskaparmal
Writtenc. 1220 CE
SetMythic time
The gods built Bifrost, a burning three-colored bridge from earth to heaven, guarded by Heimdall. Freyja owns a falcon-feather cloak that lets the wearer fly between worlds, and Loki borrows it more than once.

Summary by the editors. Translation: Summary (Brodeur 1916) · About the translator

Read it literally

A guarded gateway between worlds, and a personal flight suit you can lend out.

What scholars say

Same source.

Looks like technology From the sky

Quick answers about Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 13

Where is Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 13 found?

Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 13; Skaldskaparmal (Norse). Translation quoted: Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, The Prose Edda (1916).

When was Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 13 written?

c. 1220 CE.

What do scholars say about Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 13?

Same source.

Rabbit holes in this passage

PlaceBifrostThe Norse bridge to the gods is said to be partly made of burning fire, to keep giants out. Its guard can hear grass grow and see a hundred leagues at night. The poems say it will break when the enemy rides across at the end of the world. Who built it, and what is it really?

Sources

  1. Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, The Prose Edda (1916)Primary text
  2. Snorri Sturluson, Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 13, 15, 27, trans. Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur (1916)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated