Heimdall, chosen for his unique abilities, is the designated guardian of the Bifrost. He protects the skies of Asgard from the giants, the enemies of the gods. He was also called the white god because of the bright white armor he wore to fight his battles. The watchman needs minimal sleep and has heightened senses. Heimdall can see very far, even in the darkness of night, and can hear sounds as soft as the rustling of grass.
At the beginning of Norse mythology, there were only forests and areas of land covered with vegetation. A clan of gods known as the Aesir cleared the land in the middle of the world where humans would live and called it Midgard. They also built a high place for themselves: Asgard. The Bifrost, a rainbow bridge, is the main path to the realm of the heavens. It stretches from Midgard to Asgard.
Origin
Aesir (Ear of Ice) is a word from the ancient Norse language and means multiple gods. The Aesir are a clan of famous deities, namely Odin, Thor, Frigga, Tyr, Loki, Baldur, Idun, Bragi, and Hiemal. The home of the Aesir tribe, the Asgard, is the highest of the Nine Worlds connected by the mythological tree called Yggdrasil.
The Aesir are the personalities of the forces of nature and the powers that hold the cosmos together. They live in a dwelling called Himinbjörg—meaning “sky cliffs”—at the top of Bifrost. As guardians, they are equipped with a Gjallarhorn ready to sound when intruders approach. When the horn is blown, it can be heard throughout the world.
Heimdall’s family
The family of this Norse god has been classified as controversial within the world of the gods, structured as follows:
Parents
He is the son of nine unmarried sisters known as the Nine Waves, or the Nine Waves. This is perhaps why he was born with so many gifts. The nine sisters were known for being beautiful and terrible. Their names represent the various powers of the ocean.
The two eldest sisters are twins, Duva, the hidden one, and Kolga, the cold one. The next sister is Blodughadda, the red-haired, bloodthirsty sister. Her name represents the red foam of the sea. Next comes Bara, which means splash of foam, signifying the moment when a wave hits the shore.
Bylgja, meaning wave, is next, followed by Hrǫnn, or well wave, and her twin Hefring, rising wave. Finally, there are Unn, the foamy wave, and the youngest, Himinglava, the transparent wave.
Heimdall’s father is Odin, chief of the Aesir tribe. Legend has it that the love between the nine unmarried sisters was unlike any other. Their alliance was determined. Therefore, when one of them decided to sleep with Odin, against the wishes of her father Aegir (the god of the sea), the other eight sisters supported her to cover her defiance.
There is another theory about the many mothers of the sky god. Some believe that Odin slept with all nine sisters. This would have been very brave of him, considering that the maidens were nine bloodthirsty mermaids. Either way, at least one of them became pregnant with Heimdall.
Children
Heimdall is considered the father of all people. Before he was accused of being the guardian of the Bifrost, he traveled the world, visiting several married couples. He stayed with each couple for three nights. The first couple were servants, the next were poor peasants, and the last couple were nobles. Nine months after each visit, a child was born.
Thrall was the first child born; he was ugly but very strong and became the ancestor of all servants. The next child was Karl. He was a skilled farmer and became the ancestor of all peasants. The third was Jarl, the ancestor of warriors and nobles. He was intelligent and skilled in hunting and combat.
The Downfall of the Gods
Ragnarok is the Norse word for “the downfall of the gods,” which is the end of the mythological cycle. It was at that moment that the cosmos was destroyed and then recreated. For many years, prophecies predicted that the reign of the gods and goddesses would end. The humans in Midgard became increasingly indifferent, apathetic, and agnostic.
Furthermore, the gods and goddesses had broken their oaths during the Fortification of Asgard. The possibility of the cosmos falling was looming. Balder, the god of love and justice, was killed by the god Loki, the lesser god with two faces, and was now confined to the underworld. Loki and his giant wolf son, Fenrir, were imprisoned and chained to prevent them from doing more harm.
Odin, the chief god and father of Heimdall, chose the strongest human warriors and prepared them to join the upcoming battle against the world-destroying giants. The gods were preparing, but in their hearts they knew that the end was inevitable and that the worst was yet to come.
As predicted, the time had come: the beginning of the end. First came the winter of Fimbulwinter, a powerful winter with snow falling from all directions. The brutal winter lasted three years straight without the usual breaks of the summer season. Then, the evil Loki and Fenrir broke free from their chains. The great tree Yggdrasil began to shake. It was no longer able to hold the Nine Worlds together as strongly as before.
Heimdall saw an army of giants heading toward Asgard. He could see the scandalous fugitive Loki in the distance at the helm of the Ship of the Dead rapidly approaching, so he blew his horn to warn the gods! From every corner of every world, gods, giants, elves, dwarves, and demons gathered for the final battle on the plain of Vigrid.
The evil giants began their destruction of Asgard and then spread to all the other worlds. Fenrir, the giant wolf, ran through the worlds with his lower jaw dragging on the ground and his upper jaw in the sky, eating everything in his path. The sun fell from the sky and was devoured by the savage beast. Subsequently, his brother Hachi ate the moon and left the Earth in total darkness.
The gods fought bravely. Each of them was paired in battle with a giant. He fought the final battle against his long-time enemy, Loki. In the end, neither of them survived.
A giant named Surt dragged a flaming sword across the Earth, causing a hell like the fires of hell. The nine worlds burned, and almost everyone perished. The Earth sank into the sea. Creation had been reversed, and what remained was endless darkness and silence. Ginnungagap, the Void.
After the destruction, a new and ideal world emerged from the sea. Balder was freed from the underworld. Two humans were saved and began to repopulate the world. All the previous misery and evil no longer existed. A few gods survived, while others were reborn. Everything was good and right again for the gods and humans.
Modern Influence
A continuing fascination with the character of Heimdall, and the other Norse gods and their stories, is evident in the numerous books, comics, movies, and games based on Norse mythology and its characters today.
He first appeared in a Marvel comic called Journey into Mystery #85 in 1962. Now considered a classic collectible comic book, a copy in perfect condition currently sells for $4,000 to $5,000 on eBay. The Yu-Gi-Oh game has a card called “Hiemal the Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge” written as a warrior and played as an Asgardian.
Hiemal is a prominent character in numerous Avengers and Thor movies and television series. Actor Idris Elba portrays Heimdall in several recent Marvel movies and continues in the role in the 2017 movie Thor: Ragnarok.
