The goat that stands on Valhöll's roof and yields mead instead of milk, enough to satisfy all the einherjar.
Heiðrún is a goat that grazes among the branches of the tree Léraðr, identified with Yggdrasil or a tree near it, atop Valhöll's roof. From her udder flows mead in such quantities that a great vat is filled each day. This account is found in Grímnismál 25.
In Gylfaginning 38, Snorri confirms that the mead is sufficient to quench the thirst of all the einherjar. Heiðrún contrasts with the otherwise bloody and martial atmosphere of Valhöll and represents the abundance of drink characteristic of the feasting of gods and heroes. The goat is one of the more specific animals associated with Odin's hall.
Sources in the Eddas
- Grímnismál 25
- Heiðrún is described as a mead-producing goat on Valhöll's roof. Own translation.
- Gylfaginning 38
- Snorri confirms the goat's role as supplier of mead to the einherjar. Own translation.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Heiðrún is the goat yielding mead on Valhöll's roof, attested in Grímnismál and Gylfaginning.
B What we think we know
The goat's inexhaustible mead reflects the concept of paradisiacal abundance in the warriors' afterlife.