Austri, Vestri, Norðri and Suðri

In Nordic mythology, Austri, Vestri, Norðri and Suðri (Old Norse pronunciation: [ˈɔustre, ˈwestre, ˈnorðre, ˈsuðre]); are four dwarfs who hold up the sky after it was made by the gods from the skull of the jötunn Ymir. They are referred to both in Gylfaginning in the Prose Edda and in kennings. They have been further linked to dvergar ("dwarfs"), supports for the main beam of some halls, that are likely named due to the roof being seen as a reflection of the sky in Old Nordic religion.

Names and etymology

Austri, Vestri, Norðri and Suðri have been variously translated as "The one in the East, West, North and South" and "East, West, North and South". The names derive from Old Norse: austr, vestr, suðr and norðr, meaning east, west, south and north respectively.

Attestations

Gylfaginning

The longest description of the dwarfs is given in Gylfaginning from the Prose Edda, when after the death of Ymir, Odin (in his guise as Þriði) describes the creation of the sky:

Kennings

In the skald Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld's Óláfsdrápa Tryggvasonar, the kenning níðbyrðra Norðra ("Burden of the relations of Norðris") is used to refer to the sky. In Skáldskaparmál, Snorri Sturluson says that one can refer to the sky or the heaven with kennings such as Old Norse: erfiði eða byrði dverganna ("Toil or burden of the dwarfs") and hjálm Vestra ok Austra, Suðra, Norðra ("Helm of Vestri and Austri, Suðri, Norðri"). An example of this is quoted from the work of Arnórr jarlaskáld.

Völuspá

The four dwarfs are listed in the section of Völuspá, Dvergatal.

Archaeological record

Heysham hogback

Scholars have proposed that Austri, Vestri, Norðri and Suðri are depicted holding up the sky on a hogback stone in Heysham in Lancashire, although this interpretation remains debated.