In Norse mythology, Ullr (Old Norse: )In Modern Icelandic Ullr is usually referred to as Ullur . In the mainland Scandinavian languages the usual form is Ull, without the nominative case marker -r. The latter form is sometimes used as an anglicization, as is Uller. is a god associated with snow, bows, hunting, and potentially the sun. Although literary attestations of Ullr are sparse, evidence including relatively ancient place-name evidence from Scandinavia suggests that he was a major god in pre-historic Sweden. Proto-Germanic *wulþuz ('glory') appears to have been an important concept of which his name is a reflex.
Name and origin The Old Norse theonym Ullr derives from a Proto-Germanic (PGmc) form reconstructed as *Wulþuz ('Glory'). It is a cognate (linguistic sibling from the same origin) of the Gothic noun wulþus ('glory, wealth'). They ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) noun *wul-tus ('sight, gaze, appearance'), itself from the root *wel- ('to see').
The PGmc term *wulþuz is an exact cognate of the Latin vultus, meaning 'facial expression, appearance'; it is further related, in Celtic languages, to the Old Irish filed ('seer, poet'), the Middle Welsh gwelet ('to see'), and the Middle Breton guelet ('sight'), all derived from a Proto-Celtic stem *wel-ēt-. The development from PIE *wul-tus to Gothic wulþus shows a semantic shift from 'sight, appearance' to 'glory, wealth', similarly evidenced in Croatian in the relationship between ugled ('respect') and gledati ('see').
The stem *wulþ- can also be found in some Germanic personal names, including Old English Wuldwine, Old High German Wuldberth, Wuldhart, Wuldrât, and Gothic Wulþuwulfs, but as a substantive meaning 'glory', rather than as the name of the god. The Old English noun wuldor ('glory') stems from a related PGmc term reconstructed as *wuldraz (itself from PIE *wul-trós). Although not used as a proper name, wuldor occurs frequently in names for the Christian God in Anglo-Saxon literature, such as wuldres cyning ('king of glory'), wuldorfæder ('glory-father'), and wuldor alwealda ('glorious all-ruler')."in phrases denoting the Deity", "wuldor", An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary: based on the manuscript collections by the late Joseph Bosworth, ed. and enlarged by T. Northcote Toller. Oxford: Oxford University Press, repr. 1973. .
The related Old Norse form Ullinn was most likely originally connected to Ullr (as in the doublet Óðr–Óðinn), philologist Jan de Vries suggesting that the god of rage Óðr–Óðinn stood in opposition to the god of glorious majesty Ullr–Ullinn in a similar manner to the Vedic contrast between Varuna and Mitra.
Attestations
Thorsberg chape
Ullr may be attested in the compound owlþu-þewaz (ᛟᚹᛚᚦᚢᚦᛖᚹᚨᛉ), meaning either 'servant of Owlþuz' (if interpreted as a theonym), or 'who has glorious servants' (if interpreted as an adjective), found on the Thorsberg chape (3rd c. AD).
Gesta Danorum
In Saxo Grammaticus' 12th-century work Gesta Danorum, where gods appear euhemerized, Ullr, latinized as Ollerus, is described as a cunning wizard with magical means of transportation:
The story goes that he was such a cunning wizard that he used a certain bone (probably a sledge or similar conveyance), which he had marked with awful spells, wherewith to cross the seas, instead of a vessel; and that by this bone he passed over the waters that barred his way as quickly as by rowing.– Elton's translation
When Odin was exiled, Ollerus was chosen to take his place and ruled under the name Odin for ten years until the true Odin was called back.
Poetic Edda
Ullr is mentioned in the poem Grímnismál where the homes of individual gods are recounted. The English versions shown here are by Thorpe.
Ýdalir it is called, where Ullr has himself a dwelling made.
The name Ýdalir, meaning "yew dales", is not otherwise attested. The elastic wood of the yew was an important material in the making of bows, and the word ýr, "yew", is often used metonymically to refer to bows. It seems likely that the name Ýdalir is connected with the idea of Ullr as a bow-god.
Another strophe in Grímnismál also mentions Ullr.
Ull’s and all the gods’ favour shall have, whoever first shall look to the fire; for open will the dwelling be, to the Æsir's sons, when the kettles are lifted off.
The strophe is obscure but may refer to some sort of religious ceremony. It seems to indicate that Ullr was an important god.
The last reference to Ullr in the Poetic Edda is found in Atlakviða: So be it with thee, Atli! as toward Gunnar thou hast held the oft-sworn oaths, formerly taken - by the southward verging sun, and by Sigtý’s hill, the secluded bed of rest, and by Ullr's ring.
Both Atlakviða and Grímnismál are often considered to be among the oldest extant Eddic poems. It may not be a coincidence that they are the only ones to refer to Ullr. Again Ullr appears to be associated with some sort of ceremony, this time the practice of swearing an oath on a ring; the ring was later associated with Thor in a reference to the Norse settlers in Dublin.
Prose Edda In chapter 31 of Gylfaginning in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Ullr is referred to as a son of Sif (with a father unrecorded in surviving sources) and thus a stepson of Sif's husband, Thor:
Ullr, Sif's son and Thór's stepson, is one [too]. He is such a good archer and ski-runner that no one can rival him. He is beautiful to look at as well and he has all the characteristics of a warrior. It is also good to call on him in duels.– Young's translation
In Skáldskaparmál, the second part of the Prose Edda, Snorri mentions Ullr again in a list of kennings, informing his readers that Ullr can be called ski-god, bow-god, hunting-god and shield-god. In turn a shield can be called Ullr's ship. Despite these details, he relates no myths about Ullr, potentially as he did not know of any.
Skaldic poetry Snorri's note that a shield can be called Ullr's ship is borne out by surviving skaldic poetry with kennings such as askr Ullar, far Ullar and kjóll Ullar all meaning Ullr's ship and referring to shields. While the origin of this kenning is unknown it could be connected with the identity of Ullr as a ski-god. Early skis, or perhaps sleds, might have been reminiscent of shields. A late Icelandic composition, Laufás-Edda, offers the prosaic explanation that Ullr's ship was called Skjöldr, "Shield".
The name of Ullr is also common in warrior kennings, where it is used as other god names are.
Ullr brands – Ullr of sword – warrior rand-Ullr – shield-Ullr – warrior Ullr almsíma – Ullr of bowstring – warrior
Three skaldic poems, Haustlöng, Eilífr Goðrúnarson's Þórsdrápa, and a fragment by Eysteinn Valdason, refer to Thor as Ullr's stepfather, confirming Snorri's information.
Toponymy Ullr's name appears in several important Norwegian and Swedish place names (but not in Denmark or in Iceland). This indicates that Ullr had at some point a religious importance in Scandinavia that is greater than what is immediately apparent from the scant surviving textual references. It is also probably significant that the placenames referring to this god are often found close to placenames referring to another deity: Njörðr in Sweden and Freyr in Norway.Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology, tr. Angela Hall, Cambridge / Rochester, New York: Brewer, 1993, , p. 339. Some of the Norwegian placenames have a variant form, Ullinn. It has been suggested that this is the remnant of a pair of divine twins and that there may have existed a female goddess named Ullinn, on the model of male and female divine pairs such as Freyr and Freyja or Fjörgyn and Fjörgynn. Probably Ullr's name also can be read in the former Finnish municipality of Ullava in Central Osthrobothnia Region.
Norway Ullarhváll ("Ullr's hill") - name of an old farm in Oslo and of Ullevaal Stadion Ullestad ("Ulle's place") - name of an old farm in Voss. Ullarnes ("Ullr's headland") - name of an old farm in Rennesøy. Ullerøy ("Ullr's island") - name of four old farms in Skjeberg, Spind, Sør-Odal and Vestre Moland. Ullern (Ullarvin) ("Ullr's meadow") - name of old farms in Hole, Oslo, Ullensaker, Sør-Odal and Øvre Eiker. Ullinsakr ("Ullin's field") - name of two old farms in Hemsedal and Torpa (old church site). Ullinshof ("Ullin's hof") - name of three old farms in Nes in Hedmark (old church site), Nes in Akershus, and Ullensaker (old church site). Ullensvang ("Ullr's field") - name of an old farm in Ullensvang (old church site). Ullinsvin ("Ullin's meadow") - name of an old farm in Vågå (old church site). Ullsfjorden ("Ullr's Fjord") - fjord in Troms county. Commonly believed to be named after Ullr, although there is some uncertainty. Ulvik ("Ullr's bay") - municipality and fjord in Vestland county.
Magnus Olsen suggested in addition that the names of some Norwegian places including Ringsaker derive from a nickname *Ringir for Ullr based on his association with ring-oaths, but there is no evidence of this.Olsen, Magnus. Hedenske kultminder i norske Stedsnavne Vol. 1, Videnskabs-Selskabet i Kristiania, Historisk-Filosofisk Klasse, 1914 no. 4, Oslo, 1915, pp. 220–23, cited in .
Sweden Ulleråker ("Ullr's field") Uppland Ultuna ("Ullr's town") Uppland Ullared ("Ull's clearing?") Halland Ullevi ("Ullr's sanctuary") Västergötland Lilla Ullevi, Bro, Stockholm. In 2500/70, excavations in have yielded the remains of a cult site. The site is associated with Ullr based on the toponym Lilla Ullevi ("little shrine of Ullr"). Its most notable feature is an arrangement of rocks, dated to the Vendel Period, in two "wings" with four large post holes. A total of 65 amulet rings have been recovered in the vicinity.Mathias Bäck, Ann-Mari Hållans Stenholm, and Jan-Åke Ljung, Lilla Ullevi - historien om det fridlysta rummet: Vendeltida helgedom, medeltida by och 1600-talsgård : Uppland, Bro socken, Klöv och Lilla Ullevi 1:5, Jursta 3:3, RAÄ 145, Arkeologiska uppdragsverksamheten (UV) rapporter (1982) 1605-1702, samla.raa.se; M. Bäck, A. Hållans Stenholm, Lilla Ullevi: en unik kultplats, Populär arkeologi - 0281-014X.; 1658(27):5, 96-10; A. H. Jakobsson, Cecilia Lindblom, Gard ok Gravfält vid Lilla Ullevi, Rapporter fran Arkeologikonsult 31014:9654. Ullvi ("Ullr's sanctuary") Västmanland Ullene ("Ullr's meadow") Västergötland Ullervad ("Ullr's place to wading") Västergötland Ullånger ("Ullr's bay") Ångermanland Ullbro ("Ulls bridge") Uppland, Enköping Ullunda ("Ulls grove") Uppland, Enköping Ullstämma ("Ulls meeting") Uppland, Enköping
Iceland Icelandic scholar Ólafur Lárusson suggested that some of the Icelandic placenames in Ullar-, usually interpreted as "wool", might also be named for Ullr, especially those such as Ullarfoss and Ullarklettur that are close to similar placenames in Goða- ("gods").Ólafur Lárusson, "Kultminne i stadnamn 4. Island", in: Nils Lid, ed., Religionshistoria, Nordisk kultur 26 (1942) 74–79, cited in Turville-Petre, E. O. G., Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia, History of Religion, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964, p. 183.
Scholarly theories