The Dragon Nidhogg

I always interpreted Nidhogg to be a representation of Death and Darkness. The shadow side of the mind. He is a destructive force but destruction is necessary for growth and development. In the cycle of life, and the seasons, which all pagans honor, the cycle of birth, growth, maturity, age, death, and rebirth repeat itself. He is merely the "death" portion.

Where he is on the tree gives us more clues. The tree of life is linear, yet it is still a pathway, reflecting the levels of the spirit. The bottom would be the most base of existence--corporeal and carnal. He carries and eats corpses but dead bodies are hardly the souls/spirits. A corpse is the body and he destroys them (my theory is, it was a way to explain decomposition of bodies in that time). He argues with the eagle, but they can't do anything but bicker. They are on opposite sides of the spectrum, both extremely necessary however.

In one part of the edda, it describes him as being in a place with murderers and adulterers. This side of Nidhogg tends to recoil me, because it makes me feel Christian influences have ruined this being's reputation and classified him as a form of Satan (which is also "coincidentally" recognized as a serpent/dragon). I see him more like Death itself, not a psychopomp like a grim reaper, and definitely not evil. I believe he is seen as evil because people perceive things as evil when they fear them. Many people fear death, endings, and the shadow self. I believe that people who like Nidhogg are those who accept these parts of life and do not find them repulsive.

The spirits have their own realms they go to, namely with Freja, Odin, and Hel. If this has truth, the only spirits mentioned were what I consider "vermin" or the lowest level spirits available.

Someone bright and cheery couldn't guard/watch this type of area without going insane. But a death and gloom loving, hungry dragon would fit perfectly in such a setting.

I feel Nidhogg reminds us that all good things come to an end, at least the material existence we live in, and that we should find meaning behind them, appreciate them while they are here, and hold them in memory.

That reminds me of Odin's ravens Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory), and how he places high importance on memory.

"Hugin and Munin fly each day over the spacious earth. I fear for Hugin, that he come not back, yet more anxious am I for Munin."

I absolutely love your interpretation of Nidhogg, White, and I agree with you!

That was great info to

Thank you =)

I always love your topics, especially the ones that provoke my mind and cause me to ponder.

Thank you again, White. :) You always provide a lot of keen insight into these things, and I highly value your opinion.

Ditto Personified. ;-)

Personified i have learnt something new today reading this thread !Thanks for adding it .WhiteRav3n i love how you interprete symbols ,stories and ideas so well .Keep the good work ladies i like how my mind also pounces more than enough around you two .We need people like you who have the effect of brainstimulant extra power lol .:)

Ha ha, thanks arte!

I think the concept of Norse dragons is a curious thing. Sometimes there doesn't seem to be any real definition of dragon, or seperation of dragons from serpents, in what I've read. Nidhogg, the Midgard Serpent, and only a few others are really well known and called "dragons". They do, however, mention several snakes and serpents throughout the writing. I would be interested in exploring that aspect a bit if I had more time. I know there isn't a clearly defined sect of Heathenry that solely works with the serpent related deities, but I have seen a few here and there who claim that the Midgard Serpent is their patron. Not sure how I feel about that one though, to be honest.

This thread has been moved to Heathenism from Misc Topics.