Since I first learned about mythology in Elementary school, I have been interested and fascinated with the various mythologies. Greek and Roman mythology was the most accessible as a kid. The library had books with some of the stories. Most of the stories were KOOL fantasy stories and were almost like reading a comic book. Mythology never came close to replacing my religious beliefs but it was interesting to me on a geeky level.
As I got older, Egyptian mythology became more of an interest. Movies like the original Mummy and Stargate helped propel my interest. Stargate: SG1 blasted it into a new realm.
I never really explored much of Norse Mythology. What little I had read was pretty weird and often savage. After the Marvel movie, Thor, came out, I started to look more into it. The television series, Vikings, pushed it even further.
The other day at my office, I was talking to a few guys about Heimdall, the guardian of the “Rainbow Bridge” or the “Bifrost”. The conversation started because one of the guys is a Minnesota Vikings fan and one thing led to another. I searched for Heimdall to make sure I said his name right. I was correct but in this process, I discovered something else.
In my limited study of Norse Mythology, I assumed the pronunciation of “Bifrost” to be “Bi Frost”. My assumption was completely wrong. I put the separation between of the syllables incorrectly.
According to Norse-Mythology.org, the syllables could be separated like “Bif Rost”. It is correctly pronounced “Beef Roast”. Yes, it is pronounced like the delightful dinner that can be made in the crock-pot while you are at work.
The orginal name for the Bifrost was Bilröst. It’s mean is roughly “the fleetingly glimpsed rainbow.” It was adapted over time to be Bifröst. Bifröst translates to “the shaking or trembling rainbow.” Either way, it shows the fleeting rainbow bridge. (Norse-Mythology.org)
If I was crossing from Asgard to Midgard, I would get hungry by asking Heimdall to open the path for me on the “Beef Roast!”
Stay Geeky My Friends!
