Asgard and Valinor: worlds in comparison

When creating his literary universe, Tolkien drew from the medieval sources of Norse mythology, so much so that, in the early versions of his work, Asgard features as an equivalent of Valinor. That could be seen as a simple sign of the author’s process and goals, but there may be more to the equivalence than a mere generic correspondence. Indeed, a detailed analysis of the two divine worlds, comparing them side by side, suggests a deeper connection and, in the process, reveals a particular Eddic poem that, like Völuspá, may merit being singled out as one of Tolkien’s sources.