Freyja's battle-swine, in whose form the transformed Ótarr travels with the goddess.
Hildisvíni, whose name means 'battle-swine', is the boar guise or actual boar associated with Freyja. In Hyndluljóð, Freyja rides on Hildisvíni when she seeks out the giantess Hyndla to ascertain the lineage of her protégé Ótarr. The text implies that Ótarr himself is transformed into the boar.
The boar as warrior attribute is well known in Old Norse context; helmets with boar-crested ridges and boar symbols on weaponry are archaeologically attested. Hildisvíni's connection to Freyja as a war goddess underscores her dual nature as deity of both fertility and conflict. Snorri mentions Freyja in connection with boars in Gylfaginning 35.
Sources in the Eddas
- Hyndluljóð 1-10
- Freyja rides on Hildisvíni in the opening of the poem. Own translation.
- Gylfaginning 35
- Snorri mentions Freyja's association with boars. Own translation.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Hildisvíni is Freyja's boar in Hyndluljóð, in whose form Ótarr travels, well attested in the poem.
B What we think we know
The boar as Freyja's mount may reflect a cultic tradition of boar masquerades in her worship.