Abstract
Select characters in medieval Icelandic literature are
able to comprehend the language of birds. Ranging from Sigurðr’s tasting the
blood of the dragon Fáfnir to Óðinn’s daily dialogue with the ravens Huginn and
Muninn, numerous sources will be examined from a comparative perspective. Birds
consistently offer important information to individuals associated with
kingship and wisdom. The wide chronological and geographical range of this
motif will be explored as well as the fascinating theoretical questions
regarding why birds are nature’s purveyors of wisdom. With their capacity to
fly and sing, birds universally hold a special place in human experience as
symbols of transcendence and numinous knowledge; Old Norse tradition reflects
this reality.
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