Lofn

In Norse mythology, Lofn (Old Norse, possibly "comforter,") "the comforter, the mild," or "loving" is a goddess. Lofn is attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson and in kennings found in skaldic poetry. In the Prose Edda, Lofn is described as gentle in manner and as an arranger of marriages, even when they have been forbidden. Scholars have proposed theories about the implications of the goddess.

Attestations

In chapter 35 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, High provides brief descriptions of 16 ásynjur. High lists Lofn eighth and about her says that:

In the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, Lofn is included among a list of 27 ásynjur names. Elsewhere in Skáldskaparmál, Lofn appears in a kenning for "woman" in a work by the skald Ormr Steinþórsson. Otherwise Lofn appears frequently as a base word in skaldic kennings for "woman."

Theories

John Lindow says that scholars have generally followed Snorri's etymological connection with the root lof-, meaning "praise." Lindow says that, along with many other goddess, some scholars theorize that Lofn may simply be another name for the goddess Frigg.Rudolf Simek theorizes that Snorri used skaldic kennings to produce his Gylfaginning commentary about the goddess, while combining several etymologies with the Old Norse personal name Lofn.

Lofn (crater)

Coordinates: 56°30′S 22°18′W / 56.5°S 22.3°W / -56.5; -22.3

Lofn is a large relatively young impact crater on Jupiter's Galilean satellite Callisto. It was identified in 1997 and named after the goddess of marriage in Norse mythology. Located near the south pole of this moon, Lofn is classified as a flat floored or anomalous dome impact crater. It is superimposed on Adlinda multilayer structure obscuring about 30% of it. Another multi-ring structure—Heimdall is found to the south-west of Lofn.

Geologically Lofn is divided into a number of zones including the flat central floor zone, ring of massifs around it and the outer rings of bright and dark impact ejecta. Lofn was probably formed by an oblique impactor coming from the north-west. The relative shallowness of it is explained by either fragmentation of the impactor prior to the contact with the surface or by the post impact relaxation of Callisto's ductile crust.

Discovery and location

Lofn is one of the largest impact craters on Jupiter's moon Callisto. It is located in the southern hemisphere near the moon's south pole. The latitude and longitude of its center are 56°S and 23°W, respectively. The diameter of Lofn is about 180 km.

Lofn (disambiguation)

Lofn may refer to