Heimdallr / Heimdall possesses the Gjallarhorn, a horn that may be reflective of drinking and ceremonial horns that were used in religious rites among the Germanic people (e.g., Simek, 2007).
In the Poetic Edda, Heimdallr / Heimdall is mentioned in the Völuspa where it says that;
‘Hearing I ask from the holy races,
From Heimdall’s sons, both high and low;
Thou wilt, Valfather, that well I relate.
Old tales I remember of men long ago.’
(Bellows, 1923)
What is Heimdall the god of?
It is believed that Heimdallr / Heimdall is a God of social and ruling classes. Like Odin, Heimdallr also possesses shamanic-like qualities, including the ability for foretell and see the future. His dwelling in Himinbjörg is linked to Bifröst, the rainbow bridge that connects the realm of Midgard and Asgard, of humans and the Gods of the Upper world on Yggdrasil. As such, it has been proposed that Heimdallr / Heimdall personifies the communication channels between different realms on the world-tree Yggdrasil. Without Yggdrasil, shamanic-practice such as Seidr would not be possible as the tree connects the different realms (see e.g., Sebastian Cöllen, 2015).
Who is Heimdall to Odin?
Heimdallr / Heimdall is for example referred to as ‘a Guardian of the Gods’ and in the Husdràpà, he is said to be the ‘son of nine mothers’. (e.g. Faulkes, 1995). Odin himself hung 9 nights on Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil has 9 different worlds. As such, it could be posited that Heimdallr’s / Heimdall function has had ceremonial purposes, which is also attested in the archaeological record such as the stone cross known as Gosforth Cross from from the English Countryside, dating back to the 10th Century AD.
