Sessrúmnir facts for kids
Sessrúmnir is a special place and also a ship in Norse mythology. It is the name of the great hall belonging to the goddess Freyja. This hall is found in a field called Fólkvangr. In Fólkvangr, Freyja welcomes half of the warriors who die in battle. The other half go to Valhalla with the god Odin. Sessrúmnir is also the name of a ship. Both the hall and the ship are mentioned in an old book called the Prose Edda. This book was written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Experts have thought about how the hall and the ship might be connected.
Mentions in Old Texts
Sessrúmnir is clearly called a hall in a part of the Prose Edda known as Gylfaginning. In chapter 24, a character named High describes Fólkvangr. He tells Gangleri (who is actually King Gylfi in disguise) that Freyja owns the hall Sessrúmnir. High says that it is "large and beautiful."
Sessrúmnir is also mentioned in another part of the Prose Edda, called Skáldskaparmál. In chapter 20, the book lists different ways to talk about Freyja. One way is to call her the "possessor of the fallen slain and of Sessrúmnir." This shows her connection to the hall. Sessrúmnir is mentioned one last time in chapter 75. Here, it is listed among the names of various ships.
Ideas and Theories
Some experts have ideas about Sessrúmnir. Rudolf Simek thinks that maybe one of the ideas for Sessrúmnir (as a ship or as a hall) came from a mistake. This is because the name "Sessrúmnir" can mean "space with many seats" or "roomy seats." This meaning could fit both a large hall and a ship.
In 2012, Joseph S. Hopkins and Haukur Þorgeirsson suggested a link. They thought that Fólkvangr, Sessrúmnir, and the many stone ships found in Scandinavia might be connected. Stone ships are ancient burial sites shaped like ships. Hopkins and Haukur believe that Fólkvangr and Sessrúmnir together create a picture of a ship and a field. This idea might connect Freyja to a goddess named "Isis" mentioned by the Roman senator Tacitus. He wrote about her in his book Germania in the first century.
See also
In Spanish: Sessrúmnir para niños
