Móðguðr
In Norse mythology, Móðguðr refers to the female guardian of the bridge over the river Gjöll, Gjallarbrú. She allowed the newly dead to use the bridge to cross from one side of the river Gjöll to the other if the soul stated their name and business. She possibly in turn prevented the dead beyond the river from crossing back over Gjöll into the lands of the living.
↻ synthesized from 2 sources
When
- First attested
- 700 CE
- Attested period
- 700 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Norse mythology, attested in Medieval Iceland.
Relationships
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“which is guarded by Móðguðr. The bridge is described as having a roof made of shining gold. Hermóðr crosses it before being challenged at the far end by Móðguðr.”
#11174 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“The two arrive at the river Gjöll and then continue to Gjöll bridge, encountering a maiden guarding the bridge named Móðguðr. Some dialogue occurs between Hermóðr and Móðguðr, including that Móðguðr notes that recently there had ridden five battalions of dead men across the bridge that made less sound than he.”
#38570 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001