One of the grandest and mightiest of all the deities of Asgard is Heimdall, the legendary guardian of the rainbow bridge Bifrost, which connects Asgard to Midgard, the name the Norsemen had for the material manifested world of humanity (i.e., Earth). Envisioned by his followers as a warrior of exceptional physical stature who wields an enchanted sword, Heimdall stands at the uppermost region of Bifrost, and will greet anyone who wishes to enter the godly realm from that dimensional boundary point. He has been nicknamed 'the White God' due to the shimmering white armor that he wears (somewhat similar to that said to be worn by the archangel Michael in some sources). Though his true parentage is lost to antiquity, he is said to have had nine different mothers (which may be a metaphorical reference of some sort). In addition to his physical formidability, he has several other amazing attributes in regards to his physical senses that make him eminently suited to a role as important as that of the full-time guardian of the entrance to Asgard. His eyesight is said to be so incredibly keen that he has been described in the myths as being able to see a fly zinging through the air from a hundred miles away, and his hearing to be so sensitive that he can literally detect the uber-subtle sound of the grass growing in fields located miles away. He is said in some sources to have lost or sacrificed one of his ears as a necessary means of achieving his amazing sensory perception, and it's likely there is a lost myth involving him that may have described the story behind this. Heimdall likewise requires very little sleep, thus enabling him to stand at his divinely appointed post on a virtually 24/7 basis.
Dwelling in a grand domicile situated near his post, Heimdall is also in possession of a mystic horn referred to in the myths as Gjallerbru, which he is to trumpet at the fateful moment in time when he sees the combined enemies of the deities marching towards Asgard by way of the rainbow bridge. This is to summon the full forces of the deities to the defense of the fabled realm, including the Einerjar, an army of warriors composed of the virtuous dead who reside in Valhalla, the Norse equivalent of Heaven. This will precipitate the onset of Ragnarok, the cataclysmic battle that will result in the destruction of all the Nine Worlds of the Norse cosmology, followed by a rebirth of a new order of being. For various reasons only partially alluded to in the surviving myths, Heimdall is a sworn enemy of Loki, the god of mischief, who will eventually turn on his fellow deities and lead the forces of evil against the Asgardians at Ragnarok, and the two powerful deities will jointly perish in battle with each other during the 'Twilight of the Gods.'
Of all the deities comprising the Norse pantheon, my spiritual rapport with Heimdall is among the strongest. Like Thor, he has visited me more than once while I was in a dream state of altered consciousness, and he has steadfastly stood at my side as a protector and guardian. I always have the utmost confidence he will be there when I need him most, and he is the perfect deity to call upon whenever one of his reverents requires a guardian. He can divide his essence from his prime god-form which stands before his appointed post--as can all the deities--and send this portion of his essence to aid and protect any followers of the Norse path who may need him. He will appear as a very tall warrior in full armored regalia, taller in stature even than Thor, with his sword unsheathed and ready to smite whatever evil forces may imperil the safety or sanity of those mortals who have bonded with his pantheon and who require his aid. His amazingly sensitive array of senses render him all but impossible to take unawares, thus making him a guardian and warrior deity of supreme effectiveness and efficiency. One of the Aesir tribe of Asgardians, his role in sounding the proverbial tune that initiates the Twilight of the Gods also make Heimdall a symbol of the beginning and ending of things or even of entire eras, and he can be called upon in this capacity too.
