Mythical twig or staff fashioned at Mímir's well, possessing magical power.
Lævateinn is mentioned in Fjölsvinnsmál as a magical weapon or tool kept in Menglöð's fortress. Scholars interpret the name either as damage-twig or as a circumlocution for Lóðurr's staff.
The connection to Mimisbrunnr and the runes carved at the well makes Lævateinn a symbol of knowledge translated into magical agency. Some scholars identify the object with the mistletoe that killed Baldr.
Attestations
- Fjölsvinnsmál str. 26, Poetisk Edda (ca. 1270)
- The only direct mention of Lævateinn and its place of keeping.