Ǫnd

Breath-soul

Ǫnd — the breath-soul, the animating breath given to the first humans (Askr and Embla) in Vǫluspá by Óðinn ('ǫnd þau né áttu' — they had no breath, until). Linguistically related to Latin anima and Greek anemos. Eldar Heide's account of 'spirits through respiratory passages' centres on the ǫnd.

Lík / líkamrHamrǪndǪndHugrÓðrHamingjaFylgjaDísSál

Point 3 of 9 in Old Norse Nine-Part Soul (reconstructed)

Cross-tradition overlaps

No overlapping points are registered for this point.

Open in interactive explorer

Sources

Vǫluspá (Poetic Edda) st. 18 (primary_canonical)

Vǫluspá st. 18 records the gods' gifts to Askr and Embla, including ǫnd (breath/spirit), óðr, and sensory faculties. This stanza is the primary Eddic evidence for ǫnd as an animating endowment in the human constitution.

Heide, 'Spirits Through Respiratory Passages' (secondary)

Tags