Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr (Thorgerdr Holgabrudr) and Irpa are divine figures in Norse mythology. They appear together in Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga, and Þorleifs þáttr jarlsskálds. Irpa's name does not appear outside of these four attestations, but Þorgerðr also appears in the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, Færeyinga saga, and Harðar saga ok Hólmverja and is mentioned in Ketils saga hœngs. Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr is particularly associated with Haakon Sigurdsson (d. 995), and, in Jómsvíkinga saga and Þorleifs þáttr jarlsskálds, Þorgerðr and Irpa are described as sisters. The roles of the Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa in these sources and the implications of their names has been the topic of some scholarly discourse and conjecture. Etymology The name Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr is Old Norse and literally means "Þorgerðr, Hölgi's bride." According to Skáldskaparmál chapter 42, Hölgi (a traditional eponym of the northernmost Norwegian province Hålogaland) is also Þorgerðr's father. The first name Þorgerðr is a compound of two names: the god name Þor (Thor) and gerðr – the latter name meaning "fenced in". The figure's second name sometimes appears in sources featuring -brúðr replaced with -troll, and, in place of Hölg-, the prefixes Hörða-, Hörga-, and Hölda- also appear. It has been suggested that name Þorgerðr derives from the name of the jötunn Gerðr, as Þorgerðr is also described at times as a troll or giantess. Alternatively, Gerðr may simply be an abbreviated version of the name Þorgerðr. Þorgerðr is referred to as Gerðr in Tindr Hallkelsson’s 10th century drápa on Haakon, quoted in chapter 43 of Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar, found in the Heimskringla. John McKinnell states that the name of Þorgerðr's father is probably a later addition used to explain the origins of the name of Hålogaland, and that "Hölgabrúðr" probably means "bride of the (rulers of) Hålogaland" and that Hörðabrúðr, similarly, may mean "bride of the (rulers of) Hörðaland." Hörgabrúðr as "bride of the heathen shrines," and höldabrúðr as either "bride of the people of Holde" or "bride of noblemen." McKinnell says that the variety of stories and names suggest that the tradition of Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr was wide spread, and that she was venerated in more than one area. The name Irpa may derive from the Old Norse term jarpr "dark brown", which has led to a number of theories about the goddess. Jarpr is derived from the earlier Proto-Germanic word *erpaz. Attestations Þorgerðr and/or Irpa are attested in the following works: Jómsvíkinga saga