Holy Cow! Musings on Auðumbla
What do Hinduism and Heathenry have in common? Proto-Indo-European roots and the potential for “Holy Cow” jokes! One figure in Nordic mythology that I always find fascinating is Auðumbla. Who is this cow, and how did she become a part of the creation story? Is Auðumbla a goddess? Where did she come from? And if she is a cow, why does she have horns? First of all, it seems like there is something funny going on here. Auðumbla is a cow in so far as she is female, but she is no domesticated cow. In fact, she is most likely an auroch, hence the horns. You may have heard of aurochs before if you have done some delving into the runes (or not). Basically, they were wild cattle with huge horns that lived in the forests of Northern Europe. Sadly, they are now extinct. How did the elder Heathens view aurochs? They associated them with the forests, and wild energy. They also saw them as strong and persevering. So then, it makes sense that Auðumbla, an auroch, was seen as a powerf...