The sun and moon in various paths or faiths are considered dieties. Their gender varies. Some consider the Sun to be male and the Moon female. Did our Norse ancestors worship them? The Poetic Edda Vafthruthnismal stanzas 22 through 25 give an account of the creation of Sol and Mani, sun and moon respectively but does not give a gender notation. It shows that the sun and moon were there to mark time. In The Prose Edda Gylfaginning, I believe paragraph 20 or chapter 11 translates that during the early part of creation that “ the sun knew not where she belonged and the moon knew not his might.” Are we to construe from this that the sun is feminine and the moon masculine? Are there more references in the Eddas that clarify this?
I do not have the Eddas on me but from personal research. I understand the Sun to be referred as the Sun Goddess, Sunna. GalinaKrasskova has some information on Mani and Sunna.
As to the sun and the moon, verse 5 of the Voluspa tells of us their genders.
5. The sun, the sister | of the moon, from the south
Her right hand cast | over heaven's rim;
No knowledge she had | where her home should be,
The moon knew not | what might was his,
The stars knew not | where their stations were
There is another part which tells us how they came to hold there positions.
(sorry for the late reply)
On Ragnarok: Trembles Yggdrasil's ash yet standing; groans that aged tree, and the jötun is loosed. Loud bays Garm before the Gnupa-cave, his bonds he rends asunder; and the wolf runs.
- Stanza 48
Does this refer to the loosing of the Fenris Wolf? Where does an explanation of the entity “Garm” also appear?
Is there another reference that mentions Garm in the Eddas? When I read these, I look for repetitions in character references. There is a lot of artistic liberty in the Eddas. Language forensics and patterns are about all we have to sort out what is myth, legend and artistic liberty.
I looked last night and I all I found was that particular reference. A few references to a guardian dog in Hel's realm. Some sources do use this reference to indicate Fenris.
I looked also. The best reference I could find as to Garm being described as a hound was in Grimnismol stanza 44. I will paste it here so you can see it.
44. The best of trees must Yggdrasil be,
Skithblathnir best of boats;
Of all the gods, is Othin the greatest,
And Sleipnir the best of steeds;
Bifrost of bridges, Bragi of skalds,
Hobrok of hawks, and Garm of hounds.
I cannot find any other reference other than what Snorri writes for us.
