Gungnir (ON: "Swaying"; pronounced "GUNG-neer") is the name of the mighty spear that belongs to Odin, Nordic King of the Gods from Norse mythology.
History[]
A weapon that most consistently and powerfully associated with the All-Father, Gungnir was among artifacts forged by Sons of Ivaldi (the others being Skíðblaðnir (Freyr's longship) and Sif's golden mystical wig) in a contest against two dwarven brothers Brok and Eitri who crafted theirs (Mjölnir (Thor's one-handed hammer), Gullinbursti (Freyr's golden boar) and Draupnir (Odin's multiplying golden ring)). Said contest was orchestrated by Loki to avoid Thor's wrath for shaving his beloved wife Sif's hair clean. Both Norse myths-related poetry and visual art demonstrate that the connection between Odin and Gungnir is deep and long-standing. It goes back at least as far as the ninth century, when the poet Bragi Boddason referred to Odin as Gungnis váfaðr (“Gungnir’s shaker”). Pre-Christian Scandinavian visual art often depicts Odin bearing a spear; in fact, the spear is one of his most typical iconographic attributes. Such depictions are found from Viking Age runestones all the way back to Bronze Age rock carvings of a spear god, who very well may be Odin.
Gungnir, or perhaps a similar spear before it, was famously used by Odin to commence Æsir-Vanir War where he hurled it over the enemy host and crying, "Óðinn á yðr alla!" ("Odin owns all of you!"). The historical Norse repeated this paradigmatic gesture, giving the opposing army as a gift to Odin in hopes that the god would return the favor by granting them victory. Odin also carried Gungnir in the trial to prove his mettle before mystical forces within Urðarbrunnr (one of three supernatural wells beneath Yggdrasil alongside Mímisbrunnr and Hvergelmir) in exchange of knowledge about runes, stabbing himself with the spear while hanging himself on the world-tree Yggdrasil for nine days and nights at the same time all while forbidding his fellow Gods of Asgard to grant him the slightest aid, not even a sip of water. The latter role was fitting as when the Norse sacrificed someone to Odin, whether a single individual or a large group of people, they typically did so by means of a spear, either by itself or in combination with hanging.
It's unknown what happened to Gungnir after Ragnarök. It can be presumed that the spear either salvaged by Víðarr and his fellow Ragnarök survivors or ended up destroyed by great fire Surtr unleashed at the height of the final war between Gods of Asgard and Loki's Jötnar army.
Powers and Abilities[]
As one of the treasures of the Gods of Asgard and Odin's personal weapon, Gungnir is of course, no ordinary spear. Arguably thanks to magic runes carved on its point, Gungnir possesses infinitely greater attributes than those of man-made spears which allows it to vanquish enemies as formidable as the Gods of Asgard themselves, being so well-balanced that it can strike any target regardless of the skill or strength of the wielder.
In Popular Culture[]
As one of iconic objects in Norse mythology, it is no surprise Gungnir has been described in many films, comics, videogames, and books, as well as traditional lore, usually alongside its wielder Odin.
One of Gungnir's most iconic iterations being a version featured in both Marvel Comics and later, Marvel Cinematic Universe series. Made of Uru metal as with Mjölnir, it is of course both Odin's signature weapon and symbol of authority over Nine Realms.
Gungnir also featured in Richard Wagner's opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen. The weapon is said to be made from the wood of the world ash-tree and engraved with the contracts from which its owner's power derives. Odin, also known as Wotan in this opera cycle, uses it to break the sword of Siegmund, leading to Siegmund's death. The weapon later broken in half in return by Siegmund's son Siegfried as he forces Wotan to retreat so he can reawaken Brünnhilde from her magic sleep.
Gungnir also featured in High School DxD once again wielded by Odin, appearing as a golden trident-like polearm strong enough to dispose of hundreds of High and Middle-Class Devils in a single hit.
In 2017 video game Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, Gungnir appears as an artifact-level staff the protagonist, War-wolf may wield after recovering its scattered parts.
Gungnir makes an appearance in God of War: Ragnarok wielded by Odin. Here, it looks more like a magic staff appearance and functions-wise since in addition of seemingly made of ivory despite producing distinctive metallic sound whenever he summons or retracts the weapon, the All-Father often uses it as the conduit to unleash his evil magic. He does however, occasionally utilize it as an actual melee weapon as shown while fighting Kratos, Atreus, and later Freya all at once during which he manifests its spearhead whenever he about to slash or stab his opponents with it.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Gungnir's moniker "Spear of Heaven" was coined by various iterations of the weapon in popular culture rather than from mythical accounts, possibly rooted from its Marvel Comics iteration.