| World Mythology Dictionary: Naglfar |
(European mythology)
A ghastly ship made from the nail parings of the dead. Hence the obligation among Germanic peoples to ensure that none went to the grave with nails unshorn. At ragnarok, the destruction of the gods, the Naglfar would slip its moorings in the violent seas whipped up by the enraged sea monster Jormungandr.
| Wikipedia: Naglfar |
Naglfar, in Norse mythology, is described in the Prose Edda as a ship made entirely from the fingernails and toenails of the dead. During Ragnarök, Naglfar will be freed from the land and sailed to Vígríðr, the battlefield, by Hrym along with an army of jötunn. The ship will lead hordes against the gods in the last war at the end of time, before a new world will arise from the sea.
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The ship's name may have originally meant "Wraith ferry," but Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda provides a folk etymology of "Nail ferry" (nagel, "nail"), urging that no dead be buried with uncut fingernails, lest any more material be added to it. This lore could not have assumed this form had it not been for a funeral custom of paring the nails of corpses and the desire to make this a pious duty.[1] It has also been suggested that Snorri's "nail ferry" or "nail-farer" is an metonym for a ship which is constructed with nails.[2]
Snorri Sturluson describes the loosening of Naglfar during Ragnarök in the Gylfaginning of the Prose Edda.
Earlier in this work Snorri states that "Naglfar is the largest ship, Muspell has it."
Naglfar is discussed in stanza 49 and 50 of the Norse poem Völuspá of the Poetic Edda.
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Hrymr ekr austan, hefisk lind fyrir. Snýsk jörmungandr í jötunmóði: ormr knýr unnir, en ari hlakkar, slítr nái niðfölr. Naglfar losnar. Kjóll ferr austan, koma munu Muspells um lög lýðir, en Loki stýrir; fara fíflmegir með freka allir, þeim er bróðir Byleists í för.[4] |
Hrym steers from the east, the waters rise, the mundane snake is coiled in jötun-rage. The worm beats the water, and the eagle screams: the pale of beak tears carcases; Naglfar is loosed. That ship fares from the east: come will Muspell’s people o’er the sea, and Loki steers. The monster’s kin goes all with the wolf; with them the brother is of Byleist on their course.[5] |
The poem indicates that Naglfar will carry the giants and monsters such as Fenrir to the final battle with the Æsir.
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 | World Mythology Dictionary. A Dictionary of World Mythology. Copyright © Arthur Cotterell 1979, 1986, 2003. All rights reserved. Read more |
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