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Idunn (Idun) is the Norse goddess who keeps the apples of youth, which the gods eat to stay young. When the giant Thjazi carried her off, the gods grew old and grey until Loki brought her back.
Who is Idunn in Norse mythology?
Idunn is the goddess who keeps the apples of youth, the fruit the gods eat to stay forever young. She is the wife of the poet-god Bragi, and though she says little in the myths, the very life of the gods depends on her keeping.
She is called Keeper of the Apples because the Prose Edda names her gætandi eplanna. She keeps the apples the gods eat to stay young.
What is Idunn the goddess of?
- Domains — youth, renewal, the apples
- World — Asgard
- Animal — sparrow
- Offerings — beer, wine, apples, fruit, cider; an apple, an apple-wood carving
- Herbs — apple · Wood — apple · Metal — gold
Kin — Consort: Bragi
The theft of Idunn
Her central story is her abduction. Tricked by Loki, Idunn was lured out of Asgard and carried off by the giant Thjazi in eagle form. Without her apples the gods swiftly grew old and grey, and they forced Loki to win her back — which he did by turning her into a nut and flying home as a falcon, the giant in furious pursuit. Idunn's tale is a reminder that even the gods' youth is a borrowed, guarded thing.
Her husband is Bragi; her thief's daughter was Skadi.
Questions
Who is Idunn's husband?
Bragi, the god of poetry.
What happens without Idunn's apples?
The gods grow old and grey.