In Snorri Sturluson’s “The Prose Edda,” Gangleri, a man who seemingly knows very little about Norse mythology, asks why there is such a difference between the summer and winter seasons. Gangleri is really King Gylfi in disguise, and High, one of three rulers of the hall, answers, saying such a question was indeed foolish. Everyone knows why the seasons are so different. Still, it is better to ask a foolish question than remain ignorant, so High offers Gangleri the reason for the seasonal differences:
The Summer and Winter Fathers
Svasud is the father of summer. He is a content man. His name gives the Vikings the expression “it is svasligt,” meaning ‘what is pleasant’.
Vindloni is the father of winter. He is also called Vindsval, meaning ‘wind chill’. He is cruel and cold-hearted like his father, Vasad, meaning ‘damp cold’. Winter reflects their own natures.
Stanza 27 of Vafþrúðnismál (The Lay of Vafthruthnir) states that both will live until the gods die. Both Svasud and Vindloni are Jötunn.
More to the Summer and Winter Story?
This is all the information we have on the giants responsible for the summer and winter from the ancient texts. We could make inferences about their roles as Ragnarök approaches, and Midgard and Asgard are faced with Fimbulvetr, three winter seasons in a row with no summer in between. This wreaks havoc on civilization as neighbors and family members fight and betray each other. Food becomes scarce, and people starve.
Do Vindloni and his father kidnap and imprison Svasud? We can only speculate.
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Sources
- Vafþrúðnismál (The Lay of Vafthruthnir), 27.
- The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (Penguin Classics, 2005).
- Jackson Crawford on YouTube, Fimbulvetr (“Fimbulwinter”)
