Ítreksjóð - God of Norse Mythology

Digital artwork of Norse god Ítreksjóð.
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Depiction of Ítreksjóð, the Norse god and son of Odin, attested in Skáldskaparmál.

Ítreksjóð (pronounced: "EE-treks-yoth") is a god in Norse mythology and is mentioned in chapter 75 of the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál as one of the Æsir and as one of Odin's sons. His name is constructed as a patronymic, with "jóð" meaning "child". If Ítreksjóð is one of Odin's sons, Ítrekr must be Odin.

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

ᛁᛏᚱᛁᚴᛋᛁᛅᚢᚦ

In Heidrek's riddles, Ítreksjóð is mentioned as the player of a board game against a giant named Andaðr. The game is seen as a symbol of the ongoing battle between the gods and giants, with the world being new but the old game pieces being found in the grass and the game starting again, possibly with Ítreksjóð at the board.

The name Ítrekr is sometimes emended to *Ítrrekr, with the meaning "the glorious king", while Andaðr is translated as "counter-king" and noted as a giant's name in the Tullians. The name also has the variants Ǫnduðr and Ǫndóttr, which appear in the late, versified answers to Heidrek's riddles.

Åke Ohlmarks gives a different interpretation of the stanza in the commentary to his translation of Heidrek's riddles. He believes the name Ítrekr to come from "repeatedly repeat" and "repetition", while Andaðr is translated as "death", derived from the verb andast ("pass away, die"). Here, the two types appear as two quasi-mythical figures in a board game between a very eager, always trying, and a passive "dead".

In mythology, the board game of the gods is mentioned in Vǫluspá, first in connection with the mythical golden age of primeval times when the gods carelessly played board, then in connection with the future golden age after Ragnarök when a new world has risen from the sea and the fields grow unsown. The gods who survived will find their golden playing pieces, and the world is new, but so are the old tiles found in the grass, and the game can start again, perhaps with Ítreksjóð at the board.


Please note that the information provided about Ítreksjóð and Norse mythology is complex and may be subject to interpretation and debate. The myths and stories of Norse mythology have evolved and been passed down through oral tradition and written accounts, and there may be variations in the way they are told and understood. This information should be used as a general reference and not as a definitive source on the subject.


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