Mythology: Vidar

When it comes to Norse mythology, most people will at least know of Odin, Thor and Loki. Especially since the release of Marvel's Thor. Anyway, Norse mythology is full of interesting figures, be they heroes, gods, dwarves, elves, and so on and so on. When I first developed a true interest in Norse mythology in my teenage years, there was one god I was absolutely fascinated with and that was Vidar.

Vidar is one of the sons of Odin and a half-brother to Thor. According to the myths, Vidar was the strongest of all the gods after Thor. He was also a quiet god, being as "silent as the grave".

There isn't much known about Vidar compared to the more prominent figures in Norse mythology. He does appear occasionally in the Poetic and Prose Edda. He is best known for his role at Ragnarok (The end of the current cycle but I'll cover Ragnarok in another post). At Ragnarok, Vidar avenges his father, Odin, by slamming his boot into the lower of jaw of Fenrir and grabbing the wolf's upper jaw and gradually tears the beast in two. The boot that Vidar uses to pin Fenrir's lower jaw in place is said to be bigger than the average boot, as it's made from the leather scraps of other boots that people have thrown away for Vidar to collect.  

Vidar is one of the gods that survives Ragnarok and starts the new cycle, along with his brother Vali and other members of the Aesir.

Image source: The Elder or Poetic Edda; commonly known as Sæmund's Edda. Edited and translated with introduction and notes by Olive Bray. Illustrated by W.G. Collingwood (1908)

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