Dellingr - God of Norse Mythology

Dellingr (pronounced: "DELL-ingr") is a god in Norse mythology, and is mentioned in various traditional sources, including the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the legendary saga Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. He is known as the father of Dagr, the personification of day, and the third husband of Nótt, the personification of night. His name may mean "the dawn" or "the one who shines."

The name "Dellingr" in Old Norse runes is written as:

ᛞᛁᛚᛚᛁᛝᚴᛦ

In the Poetic Edda, Dellingr is mentioned in the poems of Vafþrúðnismál, Hávamál, and Fjölsvinnsmál. In Vafþrúðnismál, he is referred to as the father of day, while night was fathered by Nör. The new and waning moons were created by the gods to count the years for men. In Hávamál, the dwarf Þjóðrœrir performs an unnamed spell "at the gates of Delling." In Fjölsvinnsmál, Svipdagr asks what a god has made for a great room he sees, and Fjölsviðr responds with a list of names, including Dellingr.

In the Prose Edda, Dellingr is mentioned in Gylfaginning, where the figure of the Most High, one of Odin's many names, describes him as a god and the third husband of Nótt. Dellingr and Nótt gave birth to Dagr, who inherited his father's features and was described as "bright and beautiful." Odin placed Dagr and Nótt in the sky so that they could travel through it with their horses and carriages every 24 hours.

In the legendary saga Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, there are five riddles that include the phrase "Delling's gates" (Old Norse Dellings durum). The phrase is also mentioned in Hávamál, where the dwarf Thjódrørir sings at the gates of Delling.

Some scholars have proposed that Dellingr is the personification of twilight, similar to his son Dagr, who personifies day. Jacob Grimm suggests that Dellingr is the assimilated form of Deglingr, which includes the name of Dellingr's son, Dagr. Grimm suggests that the ending "-ling" may refer to ancestry, indicating that Dellingr could have been the "parent in his presence" or the reverse order of succession.

In Norse mythology, Dellingr is not as well-known as other gods such as Odin, Thor, or Loki. Nonetheless, his role as the father of Dagr and husband of Nótt makes him an important figure in the mythology of the Nordic peoples.

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