Norse brainlock...

[seawasp]

I'm looking for a name of something that would represent the dark side of the air, as (say) Surtur represents the dark side of fire or Jormungandr would of water. I can't, however, think of anything; the only air/storm/wind-linked things that come to mind in Norse myth are on the "good guys" side. Anyone? Beuller?

Comments

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

According to Wikipedia, Loki is associated with murder, deception, and air.

[ccw71266.livejournal.com]

Air = Weather = Snow.

Thyrm, lord of the Frost Giants. Or just Fimbulwinter generally.

Maybe?

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

Fenrir might be an example. In one version of the Ragnarok myth, his son Sköll who chases the sun and his other son Hati the moon, finally catch and consume them, after which Fenrir breaks free. His upper jaw reaching the heavens and his lower jaw the earth (it's a reach, but there's your air connection), Fenrir is the one who kills Odin.

I'd have suggested the obvious Frost Giants as well, but there's no obvious "bad guy" who covers the air like Surtur does fire and Jormungandr water. Since Fenrir rounds out the threesome in the Ragnarok battle, I think he gets it by default.

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

Not particularly Norse, but there's the classic Queen of Air and Darkness.

[kjn]

Hræsvelgr (Räsvelg, Hräsvelg, Hræsvælg), the eagle at the horizon that creates the wind with its wings.

If you want something to represent earth, you should probably use Níðhöggr.

[seawasp]

Ohh. Or as usually anglicized, Nidhogg. Yes, I KNEW there was a better choice than Ymir (from whose bones came the Earth). That's ideal.

Hræsvelgr... jeez, there's not much ON him, is there. A giant who takes the form of an Eagle, and may (or may not) be the one that lives in the crown of Yggdrasil.

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

It doesn't help that--as you noted--the Aesir tend to be sky- and air-related deities, which weights most of those associations on the heroes' side.

Odin picks up some air-related connotations from his association by the Romans with Mercury, much of their portfolios overlapping; I mention this because Odr (sorry; I'm too weak in Net-fu to pull off any fancy orthography), Odin's mysterious doppleganger (Snorri Sturluson regards them as separate figures) and Freya's deadbeat husband, might be a useful blank for you to color in.

[kjn]

Ah, the joy of transliteration of Old Norse names…

No, there's not a lot about Hræsvelgr, but there's a little. The name means corpse swallower, and he sits in the far north, by the edge of the heaven. I doubt Hræsvelgr is the same as the eagle at the top of Yggdrasil, but I think the lack of other info would be a big plus for a novelist.

Anyway, I'd recommend going to a primary source, which means Snorri's Edda. It was even written as a primer for aspiring storytellers.