Bragi the God of Poetry

Note: To illustrate this work, i added one of my latest watercolour paintings called Bragi.

In the Norse Pantheon, Bragi is the god who gives inspiration to poets, to writers and all those who work with words and also the god of music. He is one ofthe sons of Odin, the eldest next to Thor.

A very long time ago, existed the Mead of Poetry, that was guarded by the giant named Suttung who kept it in a cave under his house, and Gunnlod, his daughter, was its guardian. Odin was determined to steal the sacred mead, and after many attempts, he took the form of a snake and slipped into the cave, going back to his normal form, he ofered himself to Gunnlod as a lover. Odin drank most of the mead and during the time he stayed with her in the cave, he gave her a child. Odin returned to Asgard, and later, Gunnlod sent their son, Bragi, to live with his father in Asgard among the Aesir gods. Bragi was Brilliant and Eloquent, with a beautiful singing voice, a great talent to the music and his presence could charm an audience. Odin made him the Skald of Asgard, but Bragi doesn't always stays there. Bragi is one of the few gods that is welcomed anywhere in any world by any people. Rather than being a warrior, he is a speaker of peace and a diplomat. Everywhere he goes, he leaves the people of the Nine worlds, with ideals of peace and cooperation. He is married to Idunn/Iduna, the goddess of orchards whose golden apples keep the Gods young.

His name comes from the Norse word for poetry, bragr, and is cognate to the modern word "brag", as Norse poems were often songs of praise. His name may also be cognate to the word bragarfull, or the cup of mead that is passed in the hall.

He wanders the nine worlds, he is welcomed into the halls of the Aesir, Vanir, Jotun, Duergar, Alfar of both light and dark, and even at the halls of humans.

It is said that Idunn carved runes in his tongue, so that he may be even more a master of words.

The Mead of Poetry has a long history, it was first made by the Vanir god Kvasir, and about this god, many things are said, things that are equal or very similar to the things that are spoken about Bragi, some say that Kvasir is Bragi reborn.