Aloha,
Michael Moynihan wrote:
> Now to get back to the original question on this topic, you could certainly make
> the case that Odin may be hanging upside down here. From a
> practical/physiological standpoint, if one is hanging by their neck it might not
> be very easy to either peer or pry downward, or to pick up anything that is
> below oneself.
>
First, I have been fascinated by this thread.
Second, aware that I'm not language capable enough to get into Old Norse
languages, I did a sort of thought experiment of the different ways
somebody
could be hanged and perform the actions that are described.
What I figured was that Odin could have been hanged by the neck, suspended
upside down, or maybe suspended around his torso ("hanging" sometimes
being used to describe crucifixion.) It seems to me that Odin has to
have arms
free to grab, and so wouldn't have been tied arm and leg to hang.
Hanging by the neck would make it very difficult to look around or look
downward,
which the poem seems to say he did.
Hanging upside down, he could look and reach. But probably not bend to eat.
So a third possibility is that Odin was suspended around his torso.
Musing Powerful, Dramatic Poetic Imagery Remains Somewhat Ambiguous! Rose,
Pitch
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