Borges' NorsePlay of the Disk Of Odin.

In 1975 CE, master writer Jorge Luis Borges of Argentina, writes The Disk, a very short story that explores the NorsePlay of an additional Odinic magical item of curious qualities. I'm linking the following reading so you can enjoy this strange tale and so I can discuss it afterwards:

Great, right?!? (Wait, you don't do audiobooks? Then go read it here, and come back.)

So if we look at Borges' story though the greater context of the Norse Lore, there's the oddity of the Disk Of Odin itself, and its impossible one-sided-ness. We have to ask why Odin needed such a thing made in the first place. If the old man's reason is correct, then its singular quality provides an irrefutable proof of kingship, though not a guarantee of one, since the exiled old man Isern only has the object and not his kingdom.

There's an Odinic quality in the old man's blindness (which also meta-reflexes into Borges' own single-functioning eye into a later complete blindness). The word choice of disk could also be seen as a miniature representation of a shield, and perhaps be a reference to the Odinically descended house of Scyld (shield), also known as the Scyldings/Skjǫldungs, and perhaps this item serves to verify that very lineage.

There's also the need to possess the disk as shown by both men in the story. Like other notable objects in the Norse Lore, there's an irresistible internal want generated by such an item in some contexts, Andvaranaut, Brisingamen, Fafnir's Hoard, or Bolverk's honing stone being good examples of compelling must-haves, most of which result in death (note the theft of Brisingamen gives Freyja her death goddess Valkyrie duties, which is alot of death), and the story's end follows these hard fates.

Given the subspacial quality of the disk, we might guess its paradox non-element to reflect the same impossible ingredients that get placed into Gleipnir, Fenrir's unbreakable fetter, and that the disk is also dwarven craftsmanship made, and probably Odin commissioned.

If we have to make a guess at Odin/Bolverk's specific ends of the disk's one-sided-ness, it seems like a trick coin, an object of prestidigitation that disappears when you flip it betwixt fingers, maybe a thing meant to foil a coin toss from an apparent landing so as to evade an important result from being one thing or another since in the Lore there's alot of no-do-overs, and some no-win situations, that such a coin might get you out of.

The idea of other magical objects being created and in circulation outside of the known lore is a terrific NorsePlay, and we love Borges for it.

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Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants at age seven. Since then he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the Map of Midgard project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay. If you have employment/opportunities in investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer, do contact him.