Byggvir is a figure in Norse mythology . The only surviving mention of Byggvir appears in the prose beginning of Lokasenna , and stanzas 55 through 56 of the same poem, where he is referred to as one of Freyr s servants and as the husband of Beyla . Bygg is the Old Norse word for barley . Subsequently, Byggvir is often identified with this etymology of his name and connections have been placed with the mentioning of Byggvir s described involvement with mill grinding as being potential references to barley processing. ref name LINDOW90 91 Lindow 2001 90 91 ref Comparisons to the Anglo Saxon paganism Anglo Saxon figure of Beowa Old English barley have been put forth. ref name BRUCE28 Bruce 2002 28 . ref Lokasenna In Lokasenna , Loki is depicted as degrading Byggvir for being of slight statue and as a gossiper Stanza 43 Byggvir qva Veiztv, ef ec li ettac sem Ingvnar Freyr oc sva selict setr, mergi smera ma l a ec a me ncr co oc lem a alla i li o. Byggvir spake Had I birth so famous as Ingunar Freyr , And sat in so lofty a seat, I would crush to marrow this croaker of ill, And beat all his body to bits. ref name BELLOWSLOKASENNA Henry Adams Bellows 1936 translation of Lokasenna . Available online http www.sacred texts.com neu poe poe10.htm ref Stanza 44 Loci qva Hvat er at i litla, er ec at la ggra sec oc snapvist snapir at eyrom Freys mvn v e vera oc vnd kvernom klaca. Loki ... allir a l saman. Byggvir spake Byggvir my name, and nimble am I, As gods and men do grant And here ... Stanza 46 Loci qva egi v, Byggvir v kvnnir aldregi deila me monnom mat oc ic i fletz str finna ne mattv, a er vago verar. Loki spake Be silent, Byggvir thou never couldst set Their shares ... that softens the earth and develops the seed, Byggvir as the refuse of the mill, chaff . ref ... Mythology Vol. I. London Edward Lumley refend Category Servants in Norse mythology ca Byggvir da Byggvir de Byggvir es Byggvir fr Byggvir ja sv Byggvir ... more details
For the city in Guinea, see Beyla, Guinea . For the prefecture, see Beyla Prefecture . Beyla is one of Freyr s servants along with her husband, Byggvir , in Norse mythology . Beyla is mentioned in stanzas 55, 66, and the prose introduction to the Poetic Edda poem Lokasenna . Since this is the only mention of Beyla, scholars have turned to the etymology of Beyla s name for additional information about her. ref name LINDOW78 However, the meaning of her name is unclear and her name has been proposed as related to cow, bean, or bee. ref name LINDOW78 Lokasenna In the prose introduction to Lokasenna , Beyla and Byggvir are cited as attending In stanza 55 of Lokasenna , after his verses with Sif , Loki accuses Beyla of being filthy but the reason for this is unclear. ref name LINDOW78 Lindow 2001 78 . ref Stanza 55 Beyla qva Fioll a ll scialfa, hygg ec a for vera heiman Hlorri a hann re r r eim er rogir her go a ll oc gvma. Beyla spake The mountains shake, and surely I think From his home comes Hlorrithi now He will silence the man who is slandering here Together both gods and men. ref name BELLOWSLOKASENNA Henry Adams Bellows 1936 translation of Lokasenna . Available online http www.sacred texts.com neu poe poe10.htm ref Stanza 56 Loci qva egi v, Beyla v ert Byggviss qven oc meini blandin mioc okynian meira coma me asa sonom, a ll ertv, deigia dritin. Loki spake Be silent, Beyla thou art Byggvir s wife, And deep art thou steeped in sin A greater shame to the gods came ne er, Befouled thou art with thy filth. ref name BELLOWSLOKASENNA In relation to Loki s comments in Lokasenna , proposals have been made that Beyla and her husband are personifications of agriculture associated with Freyr Beyla as the manure that softens the earth and develops the seed, Byggvir as the refuse of the mill, chaff . ref name THORPE198 199 Thorpe 1851 198 199. ref Notes reflist 2 References refbegin Lindow, John 2001 . http books.google.com books?id KlT7tv3eMSwC&printsec frontcover&sou ... more details
File BarleyFields.jpg thumb A field of barley in England Beowa , Beaw , Beow , Beo or Bedwig is a figure in Anglo Saxon paganism associated with barley and agriculture . The figure is attested in the Anglo Saxon royal genealogies as they were extended in the Alfred the Great age of Alfred , where Beowa is inserted as the son of Scyld and the grandson of Sceafa , in lineages carried back to Adam. ref Kathleen Herbert, Looking for the Lost Gods of England , 1994 15, noted by John Grigsby, Beowulf & Grendel 2005 64. ref Connections have been proposed between the figure of Beowa and the hero Beowulf hero Beowulf of the poem of the Beowulf same name and English folk song figure John Barleycorn . Etymology Beow is an Old English language Old English word for barley. In the Anglo Saxon genealogies, Beowa is the son or grandson of Sceafa , the Old English word for sheaf . The noun beow has an Old Norse parallel in Bygg , the word for grain. Related comparisons have been made between the figure of Beow and Byggvir , attested in the Prose Edda as a servant of the god Freyr . ref name ALEXANDER28 Alexander 2002 28 . ref Theories A consensus among scholars is that there is a distinct connection between the mythical figure of Beowa and the legendary Beowulf. As both characters possess many of the same attributes, it has been suggested that a god Beowa, whose existence in myth is certain, became confused or blended with Beowulf. ref name LAWRENCE249 Lawrence 1909 249 . ref blockquote It is possible that the scribe who wrote the copy of the epic which comes down to us subscribed to this conflation at the beginning of the poem, there is a figure Beowulf Scyldinga not the Beowulf of the title who shares many properties with Beowa. Several modern scholars, such as Seamus Heaney , therefore translate Beowulf in this part of the poem as Beow. ref w s on burgum B owulf Scyldinga , translated Then it fell to Beow to keep the forts . Heaney , Beowulf a new verse translation ... more details
sword, which he will lack at Ragnar k . Byggvir referred to in the prose introduction to the poem ... would grind down Loki, and make all of his limbs lame. Loki refers to Byggvir in terms of a dog, and says that Byggvir is always found at Freyr s ears, or twittering beneath a grindstone. Byggvir says ... to be silent, that Byggvir does not know how to apportion food among men, and that he hides among ... more details
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