Saturn

Role: chief of Crete · First appears: Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2

In Snorri’s Foreword, Saturn was chosen chief of Crete and declared himself God, claiming to rule heaven and earth. He carried the king’s daughter to Crete; when Juno discovered the affair, he transformed the daughter into a heifer and sent her east, placing her in the care of Argulos.

Once established in his kingdom, Saturn shared it with his sons: he gave heaven to Jupiter, the earth to Neptune, and hell to Pluto, whom he also gave Cerberos to guard hell. Jupiter later attacked his father’s kingdom and had him emasculated, and Saturn fled west from Crete into Italy.

Relationship record

Life events

• In Snorri's Foreword, Saturn was chosen chief of Crete.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2 · 📍 Crete)
  • “and for such, and many other deeds, he was chosen chief of the island.”
• In Snorri's Foreword, Saturn declared himself God and claimed to rule heaven and earth.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2)
  • “And when Saturn finds how great strength the people think they have in him, he calls himself God, and says that he rules heaven and earth and all things.”
• In Snorri's Foreword, Saturn carried the king’s daughter away to Crete.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2 · 📍 Crete)
  • “He sprang up and threw off the bull’s likeness and took her into his arms and bore her to the ship and took her to Crete.”
• In Snorri's Foreword, Juno discovered Saturn’s affair, and Saturn transformed the king’s daughter into a heifer and sent her east.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2)
  • With: Juno
  • “But his wife, Juno, found this out, so he turned her (the king’s daughter) into the likeness of a heifer and sent her east to the arms of the great river (that is, of the Nile, to the Nile country), and let the thrall, who hight Argulos, take care of her.”
• In Snorri's Foreword, Saturn shared his kingdom with his sons and assigned each a realm.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2 · 📍 Crete)
  • With: Jupiter Neptune Pluto
  • “and when he thought himself firmly established in his kingdom, he shared it with his sons, whom he set up with himself as gods; and to Jupiter he gave the realm of heaven; to Neptune, the realm of the earth, and to Pluto, hell”
• In Snorri's Foreword, Saturn gave Pluto Cerberos to guard hell.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2 · 📍 hell)
  • With: Pluto
  • “and therefore he gave to him his dog, the one whom he called Cerberos, to guard hell.”
• In Snorri's Foreword, Jupiter attacked Saturn’s kingdom and had him emasculated.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2)
  • With: Jupiter
  • “and so he harried his father’s kingdom, and it is said that he had him taken and emasculated”
• In Snorri's Foreword, Saturn fled west from Crete into Italy.(Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2 · 📍 Crete)
  • “When Saturn was emasculated by Jupiter, his son, he fled from the east out of Crete and west into Italy.”

Younger Edda · Foreword · Part 2

• child: Jupiter “He had three sons: one hight Jupiter, another Neptune, the third Pluto.”
• child: Neptune “He had three sons: one hight Jupiter, another Neptune, the third Pluto.”
• child: Pluto “He had three sons: one hight Jupiter, another Neptune, the third Pluto.”
• married with Juno “But his wife, Juno, found this out, so he turned her (the king’s daughter) into the likeness of a heifer and sent her east to the arms of the great river (that is, of the Nile, to the Nile country), and let the thrall, who hight Argulos, take care of her.”
• servant: Argulos “But his wife, Juno, found this out, so he turned her (the king’s daughter) into the likeness of a heifer and sent her east to the arms of the great river (that is, of the Nile, to the Nile country), and let the thrall, who hight Argulos, take care of her.”
• enemies with Jupiter “And although Saturn had given the realm of heaven to Jupiter, the latter nevertheless desired to possess the realm of the earth, and so he harried his father’s kingdom, and it is said that he had him taken and emasculated,”
• protégé: Pluto “and therefore he gave to him his dog, the one whom he called Cerberos, to guard hell.”
• with Priamos (Saturn is an ancestor of Priamos.) “Especially do they place Priamos himself in the stead of Odin; nor must that be called wonderful, for Priamos was sprung from Saturn, him whom the north region for a long time believed to be God himself.”
• with Venus (Saturn's severed members were believed to have given rise to Venus; creation.) “And although Saturn had given the realm of heaven to Jupiter, the latter nevertheless desired to possess the realm of the earth, and so he harried his father’s kingdom, and it is said that he had him taken and emasculated, and for such great achievements he declared himself to be god, and the Macedonians say that he had the members taken and cast into the sea, and therefore they believed for ages that therefrom had come a woman; her they called Venus, and numbered among the gods, and she has in all ages since been called goddess of love, for they believed she was able to turn the hearts of all men and women to love.”

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Extracted from the original text of The Eddas. Made with Rho MD.