Seiðr Loom

place

Ýdalir

The hall of the god Ullr, named only once, in Grímnismál's list of the dwellings of the gods.

Ýdalir, "yew dales", is the home of Ullr. It is mentioned once, in Grímnismál, where Odin begins his list of divine dwellings: "Ydalir call they the place where Ull / A hall for himself hath set" Grímnismál 5. The same stanza says the gods gave Álfheimr to Freyr as a tooth-gift.

Snorri does not mention Ýdalir at all. He does say that Ullr is "so excellent a bowman, and so swift on snowshoes, that none may contend with him" Gylfaginning 31. Since yew was the classic bow-wood, the name of the hall and Snorri's portrait fit well together. That link is an inference: no source makes it.

In the sources

Quoted from the hosted translations; each line is checked against the text when the site is built. Select a reference to read it in context.

Ydalir call they the place where Ull A hall for himself hath set
Grímnismál 5 The only mention of Ýdalir in the hosted texts.

Related

Ullr Sif's son and Thor's stepson, a god of the bow and the snowshoe whose many place-names hint at an importance the surviving myths no longer show. Álfheimr The home of the elves: in Grímnismál a hall given to Freyr as a tooth-gift, in Snorri a heavenly dwelling of the light-elves. Freyr The Vanir god of rain, sunshine, harvest and peace, son of Njörðr. He gave away his sword to win the giantess Gerðr, and will fall unarmed against Surtr at Ragnarök. Bilskirnir and Þrúðvangr Bilskirnir Thor's hall, with five hundred and forty rooms, the greatest house ever built; it stands in his land of Þrúðvangr, 'strength-field'. Valaskjálf A silver-thatched hall built by a god for himself in ancient days; Snorri makes it Odin's hall and places the high seat Hliðskjálf inside it.