Skírnismál

Icelandic poem

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July 13, 2026

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The Skírnismál is an Icelandic poem from the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse mythological and heroic lays. This poem tells the story of the god Freyr, who falls in love with a giant maiden named Gerd. To win her, Freyr sends his messenger Skírnir to woo her, first with gifts and then with threats.123

The poem is considered one of the older mythological poems in the Poetic Edda and is thought to have originated in Norway before Iceland was settled. Scholars have interpreted the story as an ancient fertility myth, symbolizing the god of fertility freeing the maiden from the grip of winter giants. The Skírnismál is preserved in the Codex Regius, a manuscript dating to around 1270 CE.231

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Germanic religion and mythology
Freyr
The Eddic poem Skírnismál (“The Lay of Skírnir”) relates the wooing of Freyr’s bride, Gerd (Gerðr), a giant-maiden. This story has often been considered as a fertility myth. Gerdr (from garðr, “field”) is held fast in the clutches of the frost-giants of winter. Thus, Freyr, as sun-god, would…
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The Eddic poem Skírnismál (“The Lay of Skírnir”) relates the wooing of Freyr’s bride, Gerd (Gerðr), a giant-maiden. This story has often been considered as a fertility myth. Gerdr (from garðr, “field”) is held fast in the clutches of the frost-giants of winter. Thus, Freyr, as sun-god, would…
Read More

Icelandic literature
The mythological lays
The Skírnismál (“Words of Skírnir”) tells the story of the god Freyr, lord of the world: sitting in “Gate Tower,” the throne of Odin, he gazes into the world of giants and falls in love with a giant maiden; to win her, he sends his messenger…
Read More
The Skírnismál (“Words of Skírnir”) tells the story of the god Freyr, lord of the world: sitting in “Gate Tower,” the throne of Odin, he gazes into the world of giants and falls in love with a giant maiden; to win her, he sends his messenger…
Read More