The Silent God
It is related that Odin once loved the beautiful giantess Grid, who
dwelt in a cave in the desert, and that, wooing her, he prevailed
upon her to become his wife. The offspring of this union between Odin
(mind) and Grid (matter) was Vidar, a son as strong as he was taciturn,
whom the ancients considered a personification of the primæval forest
or of the imperishable forces of Nature.
As the gods, through Heimdall, were intimately connected with the
sea, they were also bound by close ties to the forests and Nature
in general through Vidar, surnamed "the silent," who was destined to
survive their destruction and rule over a regenerated earth. This god
had his habitation in Landvidi (the wide land), a palace decorated
with green boughs and fresh flowers, situated in the midst of an
impenetrable primæval forest where reigned the deep silence and
solitude which he loved.
"Grown over with shrubs
And with high grass
In Vidar's wide land."
Norse Mythology (R. B. Anderson).
This old Scandinavian conception of the silent Vidar is indeed
very grand and poetical, and was inspired by the rugged Northern
scenery. "Who has ever wandered through such forests, in a length of
many miles, in a boundless expanse, without a path, without a goal,
amid their monstrous shadows, their sacred gloom, without being filled
with deep reverence for the sublime greatness of Nature above all
human agency, without feeling the grandeur of the idea which forms
the basis of Vidar's essence?"
Vidar's Shoe
Vidar is depicted as tall, well-made, and handsome, clad in armour,
girded with a broad-bladed sword, and shod with a great iron or leather
shoe. According to some mythologists, he owed this peculiar footgear
to his mother Grid, who, knowing that he would be called upon to fight
against fire on the last day, designed it as a protection against
the fiery element, as her iron gauntlet had shielded Thor in his
encounter with Geirrod. But other authorities state that this shoe
was made of the leather scraps which Northern cobblers had either
given or thrown away. As it was essential that the shoe should be
large and strong enough to resist the Fenris wolf's sharp teeth at
the last day, it was a matter of religious observance among Northern
shoemakers to give away as many odds and ends of leather as possible.
The Norn's Prophecy
When Vidar joined his peers in Valhalla, they welcomed him gaily, for
they knew that his great strength would serve them well in their time
of need. After they had lovingly regaled him with the golden mead,
Allfather bade him follow to the Urdar fountain, where the Norns
were ever busy weaving their web. Questioned by Odin concerning his
future and Vidar's destiny, the three sisters answered oracularly;
each uttering a sentence:
"Early begun."
"Further spun."
"One day done."
To these their mother, Wyrd, the primitive goddess of fate, added:
"With joy once more won." These mysterious answers would have remained
totally unintelligible had the goddess not gone on to explain that time
progresses, that all must change, but that even if the father fell in
the last battle, his son Vidar would be his avenger, and would live to
rule over a regenerated world, after having conquered all his enemies.
"There sits Odin's
Son on the horse's back;
He will avenge his father."
Norse Mythology (R. B. Anderson).
As Wyrd spoke, the leaves of the world tree fluttered as if agitated
by a breeze, the eagle on its topmost bough flapped its wings, and
the serpent Nidhug for a moment suspended its work of destruction
at the roots of the tree. Grid, joining the father and son, rejoiced
with Odin when she heard that their son was destined to survive the
older gods and to rule over the new heaven and earth.
"There dwell Vidar and Vale
In the gods' holy seats,
When the fire of Surt is slaked."
Norse Mythology (R. B. Anderson).
Vidar, however, uttered not a word, but slowly wended his way back to
his palace Landvidi, in the heart of the primæval forest, and there,
sitting upon his throne, he pondered long about eternity, futurity,
and infinity. If he fathomed their secrets he never revealed them, for
the ancients averred that he was "as silent as the grave"--a silence
which indicated that no man knows what awaits him in the life to come.
Vidar was not only a personification of the imperish-ability of Nature,
but he was also a symbol of resurrection and renewal, exhibiting
the eternal truth that new shoots and blossoms will spring forth to
replace those which have fallen into decay.
The shoe he wore was to be his defence against the wolf Fenris, who,
having destroyed Odin, would direct his wrath against him, and open
wide his terrible jaws to devour him. But the old Northmen declared
that Vidar would brace the foot thus protected against the monster's
lower jaw, and, seizing the upper, would struggle with him until he
had rent him in twain.
As one shoe only is mentioned in the Vidar myths, some mythologists
suppose that he had but one leg, and was the personification of a
waterspout, which would rise suddenly on the last day to quench the
wild fire personified by the terrible wolf Fenris.