Atla

[fallingwater]

Atla was one of the daughters of Aegir and Ran in Norse mythology.

She is called a sea Goddess or a sea giantess and is the mother of Heimdall.

I am tring to find out more about her. Was she depicted as a mermaid?

[Mjollnir]

Atla was one of the daughters of Aegir and Ran in Norse mythology.

She is called a sea Goddess or a sea giantess and is the mother of Heimdall.

I am tring to find out more about her. Was she depicted as a mermaid?


Aegir and Ran had 9 daughters known also as the billow maidens, Atla being one of them...

As far as she being the mother of Heimdall, he is the son of 9....

From The Short Voluspa: Poetic Edda, Bellows trans.

8. One there was born in the bygone days,
Of the race of the gods, and great was his might;
Nine giant women, at the world's edge,
Once bore the man so mighty in arms.

9. Gjolp there bore him, Greip there bore him,
Eistla bore him, and Eyrgjafa,
Ulfrun bore him, and Angeyja,
Imith and Atla, and Jarnsaxa.

Also check this .............

http://www.northvegr.org/lore/rydberg/082.php

[Mjollnir]

Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I

30. Helgi bade higher hoist the sails,
Nor did the ships’-folk shun the waves,
Though dreadfully did Aegir’s daughters
Seek the steeds of the sea to sink.

Aegirs daughters were usually thought of the waves as indicated above and also below, "steeds of the sea" being a kenning for ships.


http://www.northvegr.org/lore/heroes/00301.php

"He sought the halls of old Aegir, the Ocean-king; but he wist not which way to go, - whether across the North Sea towards Isenland, or whether along the narrow channel between Britain land and the main. While he paused, uncertain where to turn, he saw the pale-haired daughters of old Aegir, the white-veiled Waves, playing in the moonlight near the shore. Of them he asked the way to Aegir’s hall.
“Seven days’ journey westward,” said they, “beyond the green Isle of Erin, is our father’s hall. Seven days’ journey northward, on the bleak Norwegian shore, is our father’s hall.”
And they stopped not once in their play, but rippled and danced on the shelving beach, or dashed with force against the shore.

[fallingwater]

That is really beautiful writing Mjollnir, I could'nt stop reading. I just had to find out if Loki returned the net to Ran. Thanks for the help there.

So I gather that Atla is one of the 9 waves but not a mermaid.

"To-morrow I shall send my daughters and the bewitching mermaids to decoy the vessel among the rocks. And into my net the ship, and the brave warriors, and all their armor and gold, shall fall. A rich prize it will be. No: I cannot part with my net, even for a single hour."

So Ran employed her 9 daughters as lure for men's ships of gold? They must be beautiful flaxen-haired images inside a wave's crest.

From what age was this lore founded? I'm curious as to the mention of mermaids in Norse lore as being 'bewitching' creatures as Christianity further defamed the mermaid by exemplifying her as a creature of lust; a sinful woman that would only bring a man sorrow and death if he followed his yearnings. The mermaid was a reminder about the 'sin' of lust.

I wonder how pre-Christain Norse people viewed the mermaid? I guess they feared the ocean, and the 9 waves and Ran too. Back then even though their ships were well built they could not always withstand the wrath and fury of an ocean's storms.

Just rambling...anyways thanks!

[Mjollnir]

That is really beautiful writing Mjollnir, I could'nt stop reading. I just had to find out if Loki returned the net to Ran. Thanks for the help there.


As far as I know, it isnt spoken of anywhere.



So I gather that Atla is one of the 9 waves but not a mermaid.

From what you can gather from the interpretation, yes.....if you want more information on Atla, see if you can find "Giantesses and Their Names" by Lotte Motze, Frühmittelaterliche Studien 15 (1981) : 495-511


"To-morrow I shall send my daughters and the bewitching mermaids to decoy the vessel among the rocks. And into my net the ship, and the brave warriors, and all their armor and gold, shall fall. A rich prize it will be. No: I cannot part with my net, even for a single hour."

I think the key word in that phrase is and


So Ran employed her 9 daughters as lure for men's ships of gold? They must be beautiful flaxen-haired images inside a wave's crest.

They were more like the reason they were sent to the bottom,immense waves breaking against the ship, sailors usually made sacrifices to Ægir and or Ran before setting sail...usually prisoners...to ensure a safe voyage. It isnt so much Ran was after their gold but sailors sometimes carried gold pieces with them so in the event they were to drown they did not go to her empty handed. The meanings of their daughters literally mean "wave". Rans net was thought to have been used to drag drowning men down to her.



"From what age was this lore founded? I'm curious as to the mention of mermaids in Norse lore as being 'bewitching' creatures as Christianity further defamed the mermaid by exemplifying her as a creature of lust; a sinful woman that would only bring a man sorrow and death if he followed his yearnings. The mermaid was a reminder about the 'sin' of lust.

If I am not mistaken, the myth of the mermaid also goes back to the Greek sirens.


I wonder how pre-Christain Norse people viewed the mermaid? I guess they feared the ocean, and the 9 waves and Ran too. Back then even though their ships were well built they could not always withstand the wrath and fury of an ocean's storms.

I do not know if they even acknowledged the mermaid, but they did in fact give proper to the sea gods when they did sail.

[Mnemosyne]

Yeah, I think that the Greek Sirens are similar to mermaids. I was just researching the history of mermaids on the net and came up with this site. It's pretty interesting if you're into mermaids. Sorry there's nothing on Atla there though. :(

Mermaid History (http://rubens.anu.edu.au/student.projects/mermaids/folklores.html#Merfolk%20as%20Gods)