Járnsaxa (/jɑːrnˈsæksə/; Old Norse: [ˈjɑːrnˌsɑksɑ], "iron dagger") is a jötunn in Norse mythology. In Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, she is portrayed as Thor's lover and as the mother of Magni, a three-year-old boy with prodigious force.[1]
Járnsaxa | |
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Norse mythology character | |
In-universe information | |
Species | Jötunn |
Gender | Female |
Significant other | Thor |
Children | Magni |
The Old Norse name Járnsaxa has been translated as 'iron dagger',[2] or 'armed-with-an-iron-sword'.[1]
In Hyndluljóð, Járnsaxa is named as one of the Nine Mothers of Heimdallr.[1]
In Skáldskaparmál, Thor's wife the goddess Sif is either herself called "Járnsaxa" or called by a kenning meaning "the rival of Járnsaxa",[3] throwing confusion on whether Sif is or is not distinct from Járnsaxa the mother of Magni.[4] At the end of the story, Odin argues that Thor did wrong to offer the splendid horse Gullfaxi to Magni, the son of a giantess, rather than to himself, the father of Thor.[1]
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