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Key Details
Type
Sacred SiteMythology
Norse Pantheon
Realm
Mythological / Non-physical
About This Location
The burning bridge
Bifrost (also Bilrost) is the rainbow bridge from the gods to other worlds, guarded by Heimdall and his horn Gjallarhorn. Snorri says it will break when Muspell's sons ride it at Ragnarok; that is why it is made with care and yet is mortal. The Poetic Edda mentions the bridge without a tourist prospectus. There is no shrine of Bifrost. It is a cosmological device: color, fire, and a watchman who never sleeps.
Primary Sources
“You would not think it safe to send your horses over Bifrost, for it burns with fire.”
More from Norse Pantheon
Asgard
RealmOne of the Nine Worlds and home to the Aesir tribe of gods, connected to Midgard by the rainbow bridge Bifrost.
Midgard
RealmThe realm of humanity (Earth), encircled by the world serpent Jormungandr and connected to Asgard by the Bifrost bridge.
Niflheim
RealmThe primordial realm of ice, mist, and cold. Its frozen rivers combined with Muspelheim's fire to create the first life.
Muspelheim
RealmThe primordial realm of fire, ruled by the fire giant Surtr, whose flames will consume the world at Ragnarok.
Jotunheim
RealmThe land of the frost giants and other jotnar, a harsh wilderness of mountains and forests bordering Asgard.
Vanaheim
RealmHome of the Vanir gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and nature—including Freya, Freyr, and Njord.