Glæsisvellir

Glæsisvellir (meaning: glittering plains) was a location in Jotunheim in Norse mythology. It is mentioned in sources, such as Bósa saga ok Herrauds and Hervarar saga.

Legend

In Glæsisvellir could be found a location called Odainsaker, or Údáinsakr(meaning: Deathless Acre). Everyone who went there became healthy and young, and so no one ever died in Odainsaker. The Eireks saga víðförla is about a man who searched for and found Údáinsakr.

In the Hervarar saga, it is the kingdom of Gudmund and his son Höfund. Gudmund was a friendly giant who was popular in later sagas.

In Gesta Danorum, Saxo Grammaticus makes a reference to Odainsaker as the place where the Scanian governor Fialler retired after having been attacked by the Danish king Wiglek:

Fiallerum Scaniae praefectum exsilio adegit, quem ad locum, cui Undensakre nomen est, nostris ignotum populis concessisse est fama.

Fialler, the governor of Skaane, he drove into exile; and the tale is that Fialler retired to a spot called Undensakre, which is unknown to our peoples.

See also

• Elysium
• Blessed Isle

Other sources

• Lindow, John (2002) Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs (Oxford University Press) ISBN 978-0-19-515382-8
• Simek, Rudolf (1993) Dictionary of Northern Mythology (D. S. Brewer) ISBN 0-85991-513-1
• Orchard, Andy (1997) Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend (Cassell) ISBN 978-0-304-34520-5