Idun: Norse Goddess of Spring and Keeper of the Golden Apples of Immortality

"Idun and the Apples" by James Doyle Penrose, public domain

From your suggestions for this month’s myth pick, I went ahead and chose to discuss the Norse goddess named Idun with you.

Idun is the Norse goddess of spring and the wife of Bragi, Asgard's poet and minstrel. She belongs to the Aesir, and her name means “forever young” or “rejuvenation.” This is interesting because it not only ties into the symbolism of spring, but it also ties into Idun's role in Norse mythos as keeper of the golden apples of immortality.

Unlike some mythologies - where the pantheons of gods are immortal simply because they are - in Norse mythology, the gods eat the golden apples of immortality so they don’t grow old and weak. Essentially, they must maintain their youth, and Idun was entrusted with this monumental task. In my opinion, this makes her just as important as Odin, Thor, and Loki despite the fact that she's really only featured in one major story (called the kidnapping of Idun).

Photograph of a statue of Idun, public domain

All that said, you might find this interesting: Norse gods can be killed. This is evident not only because of the murder of beloved Baldr, a son of Odin and Frigg, but also because many of the gods are prophesied to die at Ragnarok, the apocalyptic Twilight of the Gods. If the gods can die like you and me, it makes sense they'd also need a way to maintain their youth, right? This is something I really appreciate about Norse mythology.

Still, whether Idun must eat the apples to maintain her own youth isn't clear (unless I missed something in the texts - let me know if I did, I love to learn). Because of what her name means, some theorize that perhaps she was the embodiment of immortality itself, and that she used her fruit to bestow this gift upon the other gods. Others assert that she was simply the keeper of the apples, and that she had to eat them just like everyone else.

I hope you enjoyed April 2021’s Myth of the Month!