Midgard
From Wikinfo
[[da:Midg�rd]] [[sv:Midg�rd]]
Midgard, also Middel-erde, Middangeard or Middle-earth is an old Germanic name for this world.
Midgard is the realm of the humans in the Norse Mythology. Pictured as placed somewhere in the middle of Yggdrasil, Midgard means Middle-earth. Midgard is surrounded by a world of water or ocean, which is impassable.
It occurs many times in Middle English (Middel-erde), in Old English writings (Middangeard) and in Norse mythology. The name was popularized in the form Middle-earth by J. R. R. Tolkien, who found this fragment
- Eala earendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended.
- Hail Earendel, brightest of angels / above the middle-earth sent unto men.
in the Crist poem of Cynewulf. (Notice also the name [[E�rendil]].)
The name Middle-earth occurs half a dozen times in Beowulf, and is the same as word as Midgard in Old Norse. The term is equivalent in meaning to the Greek term Oikoumene, as referring to the known and inhabited world. It is consistently misspelled as 'Middle Earth' by journalists.
Other meanings
Midgard (software) is also name of a popular Open source Content management system (see [1]).
Midgard(role-playing game) is also a german role-palying game
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Midgard" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midgard, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
