Sága and Sökkvabekkr

In Norse mythology, Sága is a goddess. Her name may mean "seeress." She is linked to a special place called Sökkvabekkr. This name can mean "sunken bank," "sunken bench," or "treasure bank."

At Sökkvabekkr, Sága spends happy times with the god Odin. They drink together while cool waves flow around them.

Both Sága and Sökkvabekkr are mentioned in two important old books: the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. The Prose Edda was written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. He collected older stories from tradition.

Scholars have thought about what Sága and Sökkvabekkr might mean. Some ideas suggest Sökkvabekkr could be linked to another goddess, Frigg, and her home Fensalir. Others believe Sága might be another name for Frigg herself.

Etymology

The name Sága may come from an old word meaning "to see." This could mean she was a seeress, someone who can see what will happen in the future. Some people think this links her to the goddess Frigg, who is also called a seeress in old poems. But experts say this idea has issues. Another meaning for her name might be "to say" or "to tell."

Attestations

In the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál, a place called Sökkvabekkr is one of the homes of the gods. In this poem, Odin, hiding as Grímnir, tells a young boy named Agnar that Odin and the goddess Sága drink together there from golden cups.

Sága is also named in a poem called Helgakviða Hundingsbana I. The hero Sinfjötli uses her name when talking about a place.

The goddess Sága is mentioned in two books of the Prose Edda, called Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál. In Gylfaginning, she lives in Sökkvabekk, a grand and spacious place. In Skáldskaparmál, Sága is listed among other goddesses.

Theories

John Lindow thinks Sökkvabekkr sounds like Fensalir. Because Odin drinks happily with Sága, some believe Sága may be another name for the goddess Frigg. Stephan Grundy thinks the names Sága and Sökkvabekkr might be special versions of Frigg and Fensalir made to fit poems with alliteration.

Britt-Mari Näsström believes Frigg’s home Fensalir shows her role in helping plants grow. She thinks Sága is the same as Frigg. She says both Fensalir and Sökkvabekkr suggest a goddess who lives in water, like the fertility goddess Nerthus. She also connects Sökkvabekkr to the hidden well of Urd under the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil.

Rudolf Simek sees Sága as one of several unclear goddesses called Asyniur. These include Hlín, Sjöfn, Snotra, Vár, and Vör. He says these goddesses watch over people, and each has their own special area of influence, like wise women.

In the 1800s, Jacob Grimm noted that gods share their powers with goddesses and wise women. He described Sökkvabekkr as a place where cool water flows. He said Odin and Sága happily drink there every day from golden cups. He thought their drink might give special powers or help create poetry. He linked Sága to the idea of a wise storyteller or muse, like the Muses of the Greeks.