Bragi is one of the sons of Odin, the eldest next to Thor. Long ago, the Mead of Poetry was guarded by a giant named Suttung who kept it in a cave under his house and set his daughter Gunnlod as its guardian. Odin was determined to steal the sacred Mead, and after many adventures he took the form of a snake and slipped into the cave, where he returned to a handsomer form and offered himself to Gunnlod as a lover. She took him on for three nights, during which he drank nearly all of the Mead of Poetry and sired a child on Gunnlod. Returning to Asgard, he vomited forth the sacred Mead into barrels and kept it there. Later, Gunnlod sent their son, Bragi, to live at his father’s court in Asgard. He was brilliant and eloquent, with a beautiful singing voice, great musical talent, and a presence that could charm an audience. Odin made him the Skald of Asgard, but he does not always stay there.
Bragi is one of the few Gods who, it is said, is welcome in any world by any people. Rather than being a warrior, he is a speaker for peace and a diplomat. He wanders the Nine Worlds, welcomed joyfully into the halls of Aesir, Vanir, Jotun, Duergar, Alfar both light and dark, and sometimes that of unwitting humans. He sings or tells stories for his welcome, and gently leaves them with the ideals of peace and cooperation. He is married to Idunn, the goddess of orchards whose golden apples keep the Gods young. It is said that she carved the Runes into his tongue, that he might be even more a master of words. He is occasionally known as the “long-bearded one”.
His name comes from the Norse word for poetry, bragr, and is cognate to the modern word “brag”, as Norse poems were often songs of praise. His name may also be cognate to the word bragarfull, or the cup of mead that is passed in the hall.
The Mead of Poery had a long and bloody history before it came to Odin, and it was first made from the blood of the sacrificed Vanir god Kvasir. Much the same sort of things are said about Kvasir as about Bragi: he was welcome in every hall, everyone loved him, and he was a peacemaker. The personal gnosis of many who work with Bragi and his family is that Bragi is Kvasir reborn; that his soul entered the Mead of Poetry and then passed into Gunnlod’s womb through Odin.
Bragi is the god of poetry, music and eloquence, which is a gift that makes a big impression.
Bragi does not play a major role in Norse folklore, but he is frequently mentioned as a respected man with a long beard, who knows many stories of the gods, people, animals and mythological objects.
Bragi is skilled in playing harp and his singing is so beautiful, that not only the people and animals but even the trees and flowers are charmed by him.
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