Vidofnir

V4I1D2O1F4N1I1R1

proper noun

A mythological bird (variously, a falcon or a rooster) that inhabits the top of Mímameiðr, a tree identified with Yggdrasil; sometimes positioned on the brow of another cosmic bird.

OriginOld Norse Víðópnir →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. Norsehuman sciencesA mythological bird (variously, a falcon or a rooster) that inhabits the top of Mímameiðr, a tree identified with Yggdrasil; sometimes positioned on the brow of another cosmic bird.

    The special magic that lay within Laevatein's powers was such that it was the only weapon that could kill the cock Vidofnir ("Tree Snake").

    1989, William O. Cord, The Teutonic Mythology of Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung, E. Mellen Press, page 175
    3 more examples

    2003, William P. Reaves (translator), Viktor Rydberg, Our Fathers' Godsaga: Retold for the Young, [1887, Viktor Rydberg, Fädernas Gudasaga berättad för Ungdomen], iUniverse, page 203, In the poem Fjölsvinnsmál, which portrays Svipdag's arrival in Asgard, Svipdag asks the guardian by the gate under what condition it would be possible to persuade the subterranean dis Sinmara (the "sinew maimer" Mimir-Nidhad's queen) to surrender the sword she keeps. The guardian replies that Sinmara is gripped by a severe sorrow for which Vidofnir has compassion; she will only be happy again, if a luminous sickle, lying among Vidolfnir′s völnur, is given to her.

    18 Vidofnir: in v. 24 it is revealed that Vidofnir is a cockerel roosting in the tree of Mimi. […] 24 Sinmara: probably a giantess, cf. 'pale giantess' in v. 29. How Vidofnir oppresses her is not clear.

    2014, Carolyne Larrington, editor, The Poetic Edda, Revised edition, Oxford University Press, page 318

    2019, Glenn Searfoss, Cycles of Norse Mythology, Andrews UK (Acorn Books), unnumbered page, "The unbidden visitor can pass their sleepless watch by offering up two morsels stripped from beneath the wings of the gay cock, Vidofnir. It is a treat they cannot resist; when tossed at their feet it will allow a man to slip by while they eat."

Origin

  1. Old NorseVíðópnir
  2. EnglishVidofnir

Borrowed from Old Norse Víðópnir or Víðófnir.

More words from Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French Vidofnir
  • Vidofnirmythological bird
German Widofnir, Vidofnir
  • Widofnirmythological bird
  • Vidofnirmythological bird
Japanese ヴィゾフニル, ヴィゾーヴニル
  • ヴィゾフニル (Vizofuniru)mythological bird
  • ヴィゾーヴニル (Vizōvuniru)mythological bird
  • ヴィドフニル (Vidofuniru)mythological bird
  • ヴィゾープニル (Vizōpuniru)mythological bird
Cite this entry
APA

Vidofnir. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Vidofnir

MLA

“Vidofnir.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Vidofnir. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Vidofnir,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Vidofnir.

Source: Vidofnir on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.