Scandinavian Mythology

Before the Norse (a.k.a. the Vikings) and other Germanic peoples were converted to
Christianity during the Middle Ages, they had their own highly sophisticated and
complex indigenous religion. Scandinavian Mythology is also known as Norse
Mythology it is the set of religious stories the Vikings told to one another.
Scandinavian/Norse Mythology is the pagan religion of the Norse and other Germanic
peoples of Northern Europe in as early as 700 CE.

Who Were The Vikings?

The Vikings were seafaring warriors, raiders, and explorers from modern-day
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland who ventured throughout much of the world
during the Viking Age (roughly 793-1000 CE). They spoke the Old Norse language,
wrote in runes, and practiced their ancestral religion. They used a ship called Drakkar
(Dragonships) in their explorations, raids and warfare. Drakkar means “dragon”.The
Vikings had a dragon head on the bow of the ship to protect against the evil spirits of the
sea. The reasons behind Viking raids and settlements during this period are numerous
and include population pressures, demographic changes, the high value placed on honor
and competitive accomplishments in traditional Germanic society, and a desire to
retaliate against the violent incursions of Christianity amongst the Norse and other
Germanic peoples that were occurring throughout the Viking Age. The Vikings are an
important part of the study of the indigenous mythology and religion of the Germanic
peoples because the vast majority of what we know about these topics comes from
Scandinavian and Icelandic poems, treatises, and sagas that were written during or
relatively soon after the Viking Age.

The Vikings had a strong belief in predestination. They believe that men's lives were
shaped by fate, the Gods were subject to fate, even the world itself had a fate which it
could not escape. Honor and glory was really important for the Vikings. For them, the
only honorable way to die was in battle. Those who died an honorable death will be
taken by the Valkeries to join the ranks of the fallen warriors in Valhalla.

Who are The Germanic People?

The Germanic peoples are one of the indigenous peoples of northern Europe, along
with the Celts, Sami, Finns, and others. Historically, they’ve occupied much of
Scandinavia, Iceland, the British Isles, and continental Europe north of the Alps. In the
modern era, they are spread out across the world. While there were certainly regional and
temporal variations in the pre-Christian religion of the Germanic peoples, there was
nevertheless a common core worldview, cosmology, and, to a large extent, a common
pantheon as well.

Sources of the Myth

Norse mythology is primarily attested in dialects of Old Norse, a North Germanic

language spoken by the Scandinavian people during the European Middle Ages, and the
ancestor of modern Scandinavian languages. The majority of these Old Norse texts were
created in Iceland, where the oral tradition stemming from the pre-Christian inhabitants
of the island was collected and recorded in manuscripts. This occurred primarily in the
13th century.

These texts include the Prose Edda with, “edda” meaning great-grandmother,
composed in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and the Poetic Edda, usually referred
to as the “elder” edda, a collection of poems from as early as 800 BCE compiled by
Saemund Sigfusson. It was found in 1643 in an old farmhouse in Oddi. The Prose Edda
was composed as a prose manual for producing skaldic poetry—traditional Old Norse
poetry composed by skalds. Originally composed and transmitted orally, skaldic poetry
utilizes alliterative verse, kennings, and various metrical forms.

The Prose Edda presents numerous examples of works by various skalds from
before and after the Christianization process and also frequently refers back to the poems
found in the Poetic Edda. The Poetic Edda consists almost entirely of poems, with some
prose narrative added, and this poetry—Eddic poetry—utilizes fewer kennings.
Numerous further texts, such as the sagas, provide further information. The saga corpus
consists of thousands of tales recorded in Old Norse ranging from Icelandic family
histories.

Objects and monuments such as the Rök Runestone and the Kvinneby amulet
feature runic inscriptions. There are texts written in the runic alphabet, the indigenous
alphabet of the Germanic peoples. These monuments mention figures and events from
Norse mythology. Objects from the archaeological record may also be interpreted as
depictions of subjects from Norse mythology, such as amulets of the god Thor's hammer
Mjölnir found among pagan burials and small silver female figures interpreted as
valkyries or dísir, beings associated with war, fate or ancestor cults. By way of historical
linguistics and comparative mythology, comparisons to other attested branches of
Germanic mythology (such as the Old High German Merseburg Incantations) may also
lend insight. Wider comparisons to the mythology of other Indo-European peoples by
scholars has resulted in the potential reconstruction of far earlier myths.

The Religion of the Norse and other Germanic Peoples

(Pre-Christian Germanic Religion)

The religion of the Norse and other Germanic peoples never had a true name – those
who practiced it just called it tradition. However, people who continued to follow the old
ways after the arrival of Christianity were sometimes called heathens, which originally
meant simply “people who live on the heaths” or elsewhere in the countryside, and the
name has stuck. Presents a theory of the creation of the world and the first people who
dwelt there. Norse mythology presents a worldview that is very, very different from the
worldview of modern science or that of most modern world religions. It was animistic,
polytheistic, pantheistic, and held a cyclical view of time.

Old Norse religion was polytheistic, entailing a belief in various gods and goddesses.
Norse mythology divided these deities into two groups, the Aesir and the Vanir. It also
features a belief in various other mythological races, including giants, dwarves, elves,
and land-spirits. Norse cosmological beliefs revolved around a world tree known as
Yggdrasil, with various realms existing alongside that of humans. These include multiple
afterlife realms, several of which are controlled by a particular deity. The stories in
Scandinavian Mythology for the Germanic peoples are the same as the stories in the
Bible for Christians and the stories of the Illiad and Odyssey for the Greeks. These
stories give life meaning and help the Germanic peoples makes sense of the world.

The “Enchanted World” View

The Vikings and other Germanic peoples, lived in a radically different kind of world,
one infused with divine presence and strong, sacred meaning. This enchantment
encompassed the mainstays of “the way things are,” where nature and (Germanic)
culture were seen as one seamless whole rather than a pair of opposites. The Germanic
pagans accepted the world on the terms on which they found it, working with the
proverbial “way of the world”. The ancient Germanic peoples believed that the
unfolding of events was directed by a blind, implacable fate. In their worldview, one
ultimately couldn’t decide what happened to oneself; all one could do was react with
honor and greatness or dishonor and smallness.

Pre-Christian Germanic Religion and Christianity

The popular opinion during those times is that pagan gods were manifestations or
personifications of Satan. The Christians were demonizing the Norse gods and the
religion itself to take down the religion and spread Christianity. Rituals and symbols
were also subjected to these perversions. Old Norse religion had succumbed to
Christianisation efforts by the twelfth century, although elements influenced later
folklore.

The biggest myth about Vikings is that they wore helmets with horns. There are no
records of such helmets having ever existed. All depictions of Viking helmets dating to
the Viking Age has no horns. An explanation for the helmet with horns myth is that
Christians in contemporary Europe added the detail to make the Vikings look even more
barbaric and pagan with horns like Satan's on their head.

Nature of Scandinavian Gods

The Old Norse word for “god” literally meant something like “pillar” or “vital
force,” which suggests that the gods were thought of as the “pillars” that held the cosmos
together. And that’s exactly how we find them portrayed in the myths. They didn’t live
entirely apart from the world and only intervene in it from the outside; they were also
immanent within it, or at least certain parts of it. They're on par with Greek and Roman
gods in terms of power but they are not immortal. They're constantly at odds with their
giant enemies, have endured great trials and lived in Asgard which they knew was
destined to be destroyed. They're detached, almost solemn and tended to be tested be
performing feats which demanded sacrifice.

Scandinavian Mythology shares a few similarities with Greek and Roman

Mythology. The pantheon of Gods, mythical creatures, even in cosmology. A
distinguishing feature of Scandinavian Mythology is the nature of it's gods.

The Creation

“Twas time’s first dawn,

When nought yet was,
Nor sand nor sea,
Nor cooling wave;
Earth was not there,
Nor heaven above.
 Naught save a void
And yawning gulf.
But verdure none.”

The “void and yawning gulf” was called Ginnungagap a chaos of perfect silence and
darkness lay between the Muspelheim and Niflheim. To the North was a frozen waste of
ice, fog, frost, and bitter cold called Niflheim. In the south is a wasteland called
Muspelheim, consumed with fire, smoke, sparks, and oozing lava. When the air from
Neiflheim and Muspelheim met in the middle of Ginnungagap, the fire melted the ice
and it began to drip, this ice started to take the shape of a humanoid creature- a giant
called Ymir.

Ymis is variously described as the primordial deity or Ice Giant. He is the Ancestor
of all of the other giants. At the same time, the cow Audhumbla was created. From her
teats ran four rivers of milk, enough to nourish Ymir. When Ymis fell asleep, two giants,
one male and one female, grew from his sweats. They were the first Frost Giants or
Jotuns. She fed off the ice, licking the salty blocks. Her licking formed one of the blocks
into the shape of a man- Buri.

Buri was the first god, big and handsome. He would later have a son called Borr,
with his wife Bestla. Borr and Bestla would also have three sons, Odin, Vili, and Ve.

The Creation of the Earth

Odin and his brothers waited until Ymir fell asleep and slew him. When he died,
there were so much blood that from his wounds that the whole race of giants drowned
except a single giant who saved himself and his household. The three brothers dragged
Ymir’s lifeless body towards the center of Ginnungagap, this is the place where they
created the world from the remains of Ymir. The blood became the oceans, rivers, and
lakes. The flesh became the land. The bones became the mountains. The teeth were made
into rocks. The hair became the grass and trees. The eyelashes became Midgard. The
brain became the clouds. The skull became the sky. The starts were fashioned from the
sparks and burning embers from Ginunggagap.
 Worms kept crawling out of the rotting remains, these worms would become the
dwarves. The three brothers told four of the dwarves to hold up the sky, they were sent
out in each direction of the world. The names of the four dwarves are Nordi – The North,
Vestri – The West, Sundri – The South; and Austri – The East.
The Sun and Moon

A man by the name Mundilfari had two children, they were so shiny and beautiful
that he decided to call his son Mani “Moon”, and his daughter Sol “Sun”. The Gods were
so furious by this arrogance, that they took both of them and put them up in the sky. Sol
would ride in a chariot that is pulled over the sky by two horses. Mani is only pulled by
one horse. They are pursued by two wolfs from a giant, Sköll (Treachery) and Hati (Hate)
each month, Hati would take a small bite out of the Moon, but the Moon would get away
and heal itself again. These two wolves will one day catch the sun and the moon, which
will happen at Ragnarök.

Ask & Embla: The First Two Humans

One day Odin, and his two brothers Vili and Ve walked on the beach. There they
found two logs one was from an ash tree and the other was from an Elm tree.Odin gave
the logs spirit and life, Ve gave them movement, mind and intelligence and Vili gave
them shape, speech, feelings and the five senses, and the first two humans had been
created. The man was given the name Ask, and the woman was given the name Embla.
The Aesir decided the humans should live in the place called Midgard.

Yggdrasil

“There stands an ash called Yggdrasil,

A mighty tree showered in white hail.
From there come the dews that fall in the valleys.
It stands evergreen above Urd’s Well.”

The cosmology of the worlds in which all beings inhabit—nine in total—centers

around a cosmological tree, Yggdrasil. It draws water from the sacred Well of Urd. The
gods inhabit the heavenly realm of Asgard whereas humanity inhabits Midgard, a region
in the center of the cosmos. Outside of the gods and humanity, these Nine Worlds are
inhabited by beings, such as elves and dwarfs. Travel between the worlds is frequently
recounted in the myths, where the gods and other beings may interact directly with
humanity. The tree itself has three major roots, one root extends to the Well of Urd and
there live a trio of Norns. Their names suggest their ability to construct the content of
time. Urder she who knows the past, Verdandi controls the present, Skuld prepares the
future. They are three sagacious maidens who exert more influence over the course of
destiny than any other beings in the cosmos. One of the foremost techniques they use to
shape destiny is carving runes into Yggdrasils trunk. The symbols then carry these
intentions throughout the tree, affecting everything in the Nine Worlds.

Numerous creatures live on Yggdrasil. Perched at the top of the tree is a great eagle
whose flapping wings provide the great winds that encircle the earth. Between his eyes
sits a hawk called Vedrfolnir. At the bottom of the tree, in the root that extends to the
well Hvergelmir, lives Nidhog, an ice dragon, who gnaws at it’s roots. The eagle and
Nidhog detest each other and sends insulting messages to each other all day through a
gossipy squirrel Ratatoskr. Four stags also live in the branches of the tree eating its
leaves, Dainn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, and Durathror. The image of the tree being nibbled
away little by little by several beasts expresses its mortality, and along with it, the
mortality of the cosmos that depends on it.

The Nine Realms

Muspelheim
Created far to the south of the world in Norse mythology. Muspelheim is a burning
hot place, filled with lava, flames, sparks and soot. Muspelheim is the home the of fire
giants, fire demons and ruled by the giant Surtr. He is a sworn enemy of the Aesir. Surtr
will ride out with his flaming sword in his hand at Ragnarök the end of the worldSurtr
will then attack Asgard, the home of the Godsand turn it into a flaming inferno.

Niflheim
Means (Mist homeor Mist World) is the darkest and coldest region in the world
according to Norse mythology. Niflheim is the first of the nine worlds and Niflheim is
placed in the northern region of Ginnungagap. The eldest of the three wells are located in
Niflheim which is called Hvergelmir bubbling boiling springand it is protected by the
huge dragon called Nidhug (Níðhöggr).

It is said that all cold rivers come from the well called Hvergelmir, and it is said to
be the source of the eleven rivers in Norse mythology. The well Hvergelmir is the origin
of all living and the place where every living being will go back. Elivagar ice wavesare
the rivers which existed in Niflheim at the beginning of the world. They were the streams
floating out of Hvergelmir. The water from Elivagar flowed down the mountains to the
plains of Ginnungagap, where it solidified to frost and ice, which gradually formed a
very dense layer. This is the reason that it is very cold in the northern plains. As the
world tree Yggdrasil started to grow, it stretched one of its three large roots far into
Niflheim, and drew water from the spring Hvergelmir.

Asgard
In the middle of the world, high up in the sky is Asgard. Its the home of the Gods
and Goddesses. The male Gods in Asgard, are called Aesir, and the female Gods are
called Asynjur. Odin is the ruler of Asgard, and the chief of the Aesir. Odin is married to
Frigg; and she is the Queen of the Aesir.
Inside the gates of Asgard is Valhalla; its the place where half of the Vikings
Einherjerthat died in battle will go for the afterlife, the other half goes to Fólkvangr.

Midgard
Midgard middle earthis located in the middle of the world, below Asgard. Midgard
and Asgard is connected by Bifrost the Rainbow Bridge. Midgard is surrounded by a
huge ocean that is impassable.

The Ocean is occupied by a huge sea serpent, the Midgard Serpent. The Midgard
serpent is so huge that it encircles the world entirely, and biting its own tail. Odin and his
two brothers Vili and Ve, created the humans from an Ash log, the man and from an elm
log, the woman.

Jotunheim
Home of the giants (also called Jotuns). They are the sworn enemies of the Aesir.
Jotunheim consist mostly of rocks, wilderness and dense forests, so the giants lives from
the fish in the rivers, and the animals in the forest, because there is no fertile land in
Jotunheim. The whole world was created from the corpse of the first giant, named Ymir.
It was Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve, who killed Ymir.

The giants and the Aesir are constantly fighting, but it also happens from time to
time, that love affairs will occur. Odin, Thor and a few others, had lovers who were
giants. Loki also came from Jotunheim, but he was accepted by the Aesir and lived in
Asgard. Jotunheim is separated from Asgard by the river Iving, which never freezes over.
It lies in the snowy regions on the outermost shores of the ocean. Mimirs well of wisdom
is in Jotunheim, beneath the Midgard root of the ash tree Yggdrasil. The stronghold of
Utgard is so big that it is hard to see the top of it. And there the feared Jotun king
Utgard-Loki lives. Utgard is carved from blocks of snow and glistening icicles.

Vanaheim
(Old Norse: Vanaheimr) is the home of the Vanir Gods. The Vanir Gods is an old
branch of Gods. The Vanir are masters of sorcery and magic. They are also widely
acknowledged for their talent to predict the future. Nobody knows where exactly the land,
Vanaheim i located, or even how it looks like. When the war between the Aesir and the
Vanir ended, three of the Vanir came to live in Asgard, Njord and his children Freya and
Freyr.

Alfheim
Right next to Asgard in the heaven. The light elves are beautiful creatures. They are
considered the guardian angels. The God Freyr, is the ruler of Alfheim. The Light elves
are minor Gods of nature and fertility; they can help or hinder humans with their
knowledge of magical powers. They also often delivered an inspiration to art or music.

Svartalfheim
Home of the dwarves, they live under the rocks, in caves and underground.
Hreidmar was the king of Svartalfheim, Svartalfheim means Dark fields. The dwarves
are masters of craftsmanship. The Gods of Asgard have received many powerful gifts.
Like Thors hammer, the magical ring Draupnir and also Gungnir, Odins spear.

Helheim
This is where all the dishonorable dead, thieves, murderers and those the Gods and
Goddesses feel is not brave enough to go to Valhalla or Folkvangr. Helheim is ruled by
the evil Goddesses Hel, Helheim is a very grim and cold place, and any person who i
arrives here will never feel joy and happiness again. Hel will use all the dead in her
realm at Ragnarök to attack the Gods and Goddesses, which will be the end of the world.

Gods and Goddesses of the Scandinavian Mythology

Odin : The All Father

In Germanic mythology, Odin (from Old Norse Óðinn) is a widely revered god. In
Norse mythology, from which stems most of the information about the god, Odin is
associated with healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry,
frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and is the husband of the goddess Frigg. In wider
Germanic mythology and paganism, Odin was known in Old English as Woden, in Old
Saxon as Wodan, and in Old High German as Wuotan or Wotan, all stemming from the
reconstructed Proto-Germanic theonym wodanaz.

In Old Norse texts, Odin is depicted as one-eyed and long-bearded, frequently

wielding a spear named Gungnir, and wearing a cloak and a broad hat. He is often
accompanied by his animal companions—the wolves Geri and Freki and the ravens
Huginn and Muninn, who bring him information from all over Midgard—and rides the
flying, eight-legged steed Sleipnir across the sky and into the underworld. Odin is
attested as having many sons, most famously the gods Thor (with Jörð) and Baldr (with
Frigg), and is known by hundreds of names.

Thor : God Of Thunder

In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god

associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind,
and also hallowing and fertility. Thor is frequently referred to in place names, the day of
the week Thursday ("Thor's day" from Old English Thunresdæg, 'Thunor's day') bears
his name, and names stemming from the pagan period containing his own continue to be
used today.

In Norse mythology, largely recorded in Iceland from traditional material stemming

from Scandinavia, numerous tales and information about Thor are provided. In these
sources, Thor bears at least fourteen names, is the husband of the golden-haired goddess
Sif, is the lover of the jötunn Járnsaxa, and is generally described as fierce eyed, red
haired and red bearded. The same sources list Thor as the son of the god Odin and the
personified earth, Jörð, and by way of Odin, Thor has numerous brothers.

Thor’s Two Goats

Whenever Thor rides out from Asgard in his chariot he has two goats that pulls his
chariot, their names are Tanngniost “Teeth barer” and Tanngrisnir “Teeth grinder”.
People can hear the sound from the wheels, and see the sparks and lightning from the
wheels sent out as Thor fly across the sky. The people in Midgard calls this thunder and
lightning. If Thor is going to be away from home for more then a day, he will cook the
goats, but Thor will always revive them with his hammer Mjölnir the next day.

Thor's Hammer

Mjölnir is Thor’s hammer, it’s one of the most frightening weapons, it can send out
lightning bolts and is capable of tearing down mountains and Mjölnir can hit any target.
After the target is hit, Thor’s hammer will return to Thor’s right hand all by itself. The
hammer can be used to kill and destroy, but also revive people or animals. Thor’s
hammer can also be magically shrunken to fit inside Thor’s shirt. The hammer Mjölnir is
also used in sacred ceremonies; it can be ceremonies about birth but also death.

Thor’s hammer was forged by the dwarfs Brokkr and Eitri. Thor also has some other
powerful items, like a pair of iron gauntlets and a magical belt, when he wears both of
these magical items it makes him twice as strong. The belt is called Megingjord, “power
belt” and the iron gauntlets are called Járnglófar. Thor's exploits, including his relentless
slaughter of his foes and fierce battles with the monstrous serpent Jörmungandr—and
their foretold mutual deaths during the events of Ragnarök—are recorded throughout
sources for Norse mythology.

Balder : God of Light

Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Norse mythology, and a son of the god Odin
and the goddess Frigg. He has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. According to
Gylfaginning, a book of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, Baldr's wife is Nanna and their
son is Forseti. In Gylfaginning, Snorri relates that Baldr had the greatest ship ever built,
named Hringhorni, and that there is no place more beautiful than his hall, Breidablik.

The Death of Balder

Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda contain numerous references to the death of Baldr as
both a great tragedy to the Æsir and a harbinger of Ragnarök.

When Baldur began to have dreams of his death, Frigg went around to everything in
the world and secured from each of them an oath to not harm her son. Confident in
Baldur’s invincibility, the gods amused themselves by throwing weapons and any
random thing they could find at Baldur and watching them bounce off of him, leaving
him utterly unscathed.

Loki, the guileful trickster of the gods, sensed an opportunity for mischief. He
inquired of Frigg whether she had overlooked anything whatsoever in her quest to obtain
oaths. She casually answered that she had thought the mistletoe to be too small and
harmless a thing to bother asking for such a promise. Loki straightaway made a spear
from the mistletoe and convinced the blind god Hodr to throw it at Baldur. The projectile
pierced the god, and he fell down dead.

The anguished gods then ordained that one of them should go to the underworld to
see if there was any way Baldur could be retrieved from the clutches of the death
goddess, Hel. Hermod, another one of Odin’s many sons, agreed to make this journey,
and, mounting Odin’s steed, Sleipnir, he rode down the world-tree until he came to its
dark and damp roots, wherein lies Hel’s abode. When he arrived, he found his brother,
pale and grim, sitting in the seat of honor next to Hel. Hermod implored the dreadful
goddess to release Baldur, and after much persuasion, she replied that she would give
him up if and only if everything in the world would weep for Baldur – to prove, in other
words, that he was as universally beloved as Hermod claimed.

The whole world did indeed weep for the generous son of Odin – all, that is, save
one creature. The giantess Þökk (“Thanks”), generally assumed to be Loki in disguise,
callously refused to perform the act that would secure Baldur’s return.

And so the bright god lay in the grave until Ragnarok, the destruction of the cosmos at
the end of the great mythical cycle, after which Baldur returned at last to the land of the
living, gladdening the hearts of the creatures who filled the new world.
Loki : The Trickster

In Norse mythology, Loki , Loptr, or Hveðrungr is a god. Loki is the son of Fárbauti
and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is
the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn,
Loki is the father of Narfi and/or Nari. By the stallion Svaðilfari, Loki is the
mother—giving birth in the form of a mare—to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir.

He is the most unpredictable and certainly the most dangerous god in the Northern
pantheon. Loki is supremely clever and cunning, an immensely powerful magician, and
shares with Odin the ability to sex and shape shift at will.

Loki's relation with the gods varies by source; Loki sometimes assists the gods and
sometimes behaves in a malicious manner towards them. Loki is a shape shifter and in
separate incidents he appears in the form of a salmon, a mare, a fly, and possibly an
elderly woman named Þökk (Old Norse 'thanks'). Loki's positive relations with the gods
end with his role in engineering the death of the god Baldr and Loki is eventually bound
by Váli with the entrails of one of his sons. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda,
the goddess Skaði is responsible for placing a serpent above him while he is bound. The
serpent drips venom from above him that Sigyn collects into a bowl; however, she must
empty the bowl when it is full, and the venom that drips in the meantime causes Loki to
writhe in pain, thereby causing earthquakes. With the onset of Ragnarök, Loki is foretold
to slip free from his bonds and to fight against the gods among the forces of the jötnar, at
which time he will encounter the god Heimdallr and the two will slay each other.

Tyr : The God of War

Tyr is a Germanic god associated with law and heroic glory in Norse mythology,
portrayed as one-handed. He is the boldest of the gods, who inspires courage and
heroism in battle.

According to the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, at one stage the gods decided to
shackle the wolf Fenrir, but the beast broke every chain they put upon him. Eventually
they had the dwarves make them a magical ribbon called Gleipnir. It appeared to be only
a silken ribbon but was made of six wondrous ingredients: the sound of a cat's footfall,
the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, bear's sinews (meaning nerves,
sensibility), fish's breath and bird's spittle. The creation of Gleipnir is said to be the
reason why none of the above exist. Fenrir sensed the gods' deceit and refused to be
bound with it unless one of them put his hand in the wolf's mouth.
 Týr, known for his great wisdom and courage, agreed, and the other gods bound the
wolf. After Fenrir had been bound by the gods, he struggled to try to break the rope.
Fenrir could not break the ribbon and, enraged, bit Týr's right hand off. When the gods
saw that Fenrir was bound they all rejoiced, except Týr. According to the Prose version
of Ragnarök, Týr is destined to kill and be killed by Garm, the guard dog of Hel.

Bragi : God of Poetry

Bragi is the God of poetry and music in Norse mythology, he is the son of the God
Odin and the giantess Gunnlod. He is very wise, and he is known for his wisdom and
most of all for his creative way with words not only is he skilled with the words, he has
also the most knowledge of poems and songs. His name Bragi, means “Poet” and comes
from the word “Bragr” which means “Poetry” the Norsemen called their poets bragamen
or bragawoman.

Bragi has a very long beard, and as strange as it sounds he has runes carved on his
tongue. He is married to the beautiful Goddess of youth Iðunn, and they live together in
Asgard. There has been many poets throughout the viking age with the name Bragi, but
the most famous one was Bragi Boddason who served several kings, including Ragnar
Lodbrok. Bragi is reckoned as the first skaldic poet, and is certainly the earliest skaldic
poet remembered by name whose verse survived in memory.

Forseti : God of Justice

Forseti (In modern Icelandic “president”) is a lawspeaker and is the God of justice in
Norse mythology. Forseti often acts as a judge, to decide the outcome of a dispute
among the Gods and Goddesses in Asgard, to make the most fair judgement. He also
loves to spend his spare time with the practice of meditation to keep a peaceful mind, a
skill he is quite good at.

Forseti is the son of Nanna and Baldr and he lives in Asgard (The home of the Gods
and Goddesses) in a beautiful house with a silver roof and golden pillars; the house is
named Glitnir The name of his house Glitnir means shining. His house is in fact so
shining that it radiates light that can be seen from a great distance.

Heimdall : The Guardian

Heimdallr is a god who possesses the resounding horn Gjallarhorn, owns the
golden-maned horse Gulltoppr, has gold teeth, and is the son of Nine Mothers. Heimdallr
is attested as possessing foreknowledge, keen eyesight and hearing, is described as "the
whitest of the gods" and keeps watch for the onset of Ragnarök while drinking fine mead
in his dwelling Himinbjörg, located where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets
heaven. Heimdallr and Loki are foretold to kill one another during the events of
Ragnarök.

Heimdall has been described as being “the whitest of the Gods” or “the bright” and
he has some truly amazing abilities that makes him the obvious candidate to stand guard
at the rainbow bridge Bifrost. Heimdall does not need much sleep, in fact he sleeps less
than a bird and he also has keen eyesight and he can see equally good night and day for
hundreds of kilometers, in fact his sight is so good that he can even see the grass grow.
He also possesses superhuman hearing abilities and can hear the wool grow on the back
of a sheep.

When Heimdall stands guard at the rainbow bridge he has his trustworthy sword at
his side “Hofund” to protect him from any unwelcome guests. Should he need any
assistance of the other Gods and Goddesses he has a horn named Gjallarhorn “the yelling
horn” or “the loud sounding horn”. This horn is primary for the use at Ragnarök, the end
of the world. The sound from the horn is so loud that it can be heard, loud and clear
throughout all of the nine worlds in norse mythology. Heimdall will be using this horn at
ragnarök when he sees the enemies of Asgard arriving at the plains of Vigrid. When the
Gods and Goddesses at Asgard hears the sound from the Gjallarhorn, they will all be
warned to get ready for the final battle.

Freyr : God of Fertility

Freyr (In old Norse “Lord”) is an unbelievably beautiful male God he is an very
important God in Norse mythology, and he is the God of fertility he is also associated
with prosperity, wealth and a good harvest. Freyr is a former member of the Vanir an old
branch of Gods associated with sorcery. When the war between the Vanir and the Aesir
ended, Freyr and two others were sent to the Aesir as a token of truce. In return the Aesir
sent two other Gods to the Vanir. Freyr is also the ruler of Alfheim, and lord of the elves.

He is the son of Njord and has a twin sister named Freya. He is married to Gerðr,
she is a giantess from Jotunheim. When Freyr wants to travel for a longer distance he has
a boar named Gullinbursti “Golden Bristles”.

Freyr was very much in love with the giantess Gerd “Gerðr”. It all began the day
Freyr, secretly used the throne belonging to Odin, from this high seat he could see out
over all the nine worlds. As Freyr was looking he caught the sight of a woman, Freyr
thought it was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, it was truly love at first sight.

Hod: God of Winter

He is the God of winter and darkness. Loki convinced the blind god Hodr to throw a
speak made out of mistletoe at Baldur which resulted in his death. After the event of
Baldur’s death, Odin and Frigg produced another son in a day, Vali. Vali killed Hod to
avenge the death of his brother Baldur. Hod will return during Ragnarok.

Ullr: God of the Hunt

Ullr’s name means glory. He is a handsome and warlike god who is a great hunter
with a bow. Aside from his impeccable hunting abilities, he is also a skilled skier and a
skater. It is believed that Ullr, sometimes uses his shield to ski down the mountains. He
is the son of the goddess Sif and the stepson of the god Thor. He lives in the house
Ydalir, in Asgrard, the home of the gods.

Mimir : The Rememberer

Mimer “The wise one or The rememberer” is known for his knowledge and wisdom
in all the nine worlds. During the war between the Asir and Vanir War Mimir was sent to
the Vanir along with the God Honir as part of a peaceful hostage exchange. But because
the Vanir was fearing trickery from the Aesir, the Vanir beheaded Mímir and sent back
his head to the Gods and Goddesses in Asgard. In order to keep his wisdom, Odin
preserved his head with magic so it could continue to provide Odin knowledge and
counsel as his advisor.

He has his own well called Mimir’s well “Mímisbrunnr”, those who drinks from the
well will obtain more wisdom. Odin once drank from the well, and paid for it, by
sacrificing an eye to Mimir. This well of wisdom is located by the second root of the tree
Yggdrasil.

Vili & Ve : Odin's Brothers

Vili and Ve are the two brothers of the god Odin, with whom they shared a decisive
role in the original shaping of the cosmos. Odin, Vili, and Ve were the first true Aesir
gods to exist. Their parents were the proto-god Borr and the giantess Bestla. The three
brothers slew the giant Ymir, the first being who had come into existence, and fashioned
the cosmos from his corpse.

Vili and Vé, together with Óðinn, are the three brothers who slew Ymir — ending
the primeval rule of the race of giants — and are the first of the Æsir. Of the three, Óðin
is the eldest, Vili the middle, and Ve the youngest. To the first human couple, Ask and
Embla, Óðinn gave soul and life; Vili gave wit (intelligence) and sense of touch; and Vé
gave countenance (appearance, facial expression), speech, hearing, and sight.

Frig : The Queen of Asgard

Frigg (old Norse “beloved one”) is the queen of Asgard and she might be the
daughter of the giantess Fjörgynn. Frigg is married to Odin the all-father, and together
with Odin they have two sons Balder and Hod. She is also the stepmother to Thor,
Heimdall, Höder, Hermod, Tyr, Bragi, Vidar, Vali. Frigg is a sorcerer and associated
with love, marriage, fertility, and motherhood, she also has the power of prophecy and
yet she never reveals what she knows about the future.

She is the only one other than Odin who is permitted to sit on his high seat
“Hlidskjalf ”, and look out over the universe. The name of her house is Fensalir, the
name means “marsh hall”. Women would often go to the wet marsh lands to worship the
Goddess Frigg. She might be associated with Friday.

Freya : Goddess of Love

Freya is the Goddess of love, but she is also associated with sex, lust, beauty,
sorcery, fertility, gold, war and death. The name Freya (in old Norse “Freyja)” means
“lady”, and can also be spelled (Freya, Freija, Frejya, Freyia, Fröja, Frøya, Frøjya, Freia,
Freja, Frua and Freiya). She does not originate from the Aesir but she is from the Vanir,
she and two other Gods was sent to the Aesir by the Vanir as a token of truce, in return
the Aesir also sent two Gods to the Vanir. Freya became a honorable member of the
Aesir after the war between the Aesir and Vanir ended.

Freya is the daughter of Njord and his sister Nerthus, and she has a twin brother
named Freyr. Freya is married to the God Odr, but he somehow disappeared but it might
be Odin, she has two children with Odr, their names are Hnoss and Gersimi.

Freya is incredibly beautiful and she have many admirers, not just among the Gods
and Goddesses but also among the dwarves and giants. She loves jewellery and other
fine materials and she has quite often used her beauty to get the jewellery she desires.
 When Freya walks around, she scatteres morning dew and the light behind her looks
like the morning sun and when she shakes her hair spring flowers falls out of her golden
hair. She has a big passion for poems and loves to sit and listen to songs for many hours.
Freya has an unusual gift, when she cries her tears turns into amber or gold.

Idun : Goddess Youth

Idun (Old Norse “Iðunn”) is a beautiful Goddess with long golden hair, she is the
Goddess of spring and eternal youth, she guards the apples of youth in Norse mythology.
Idun supplies the other Gods and Goddesses with the apples of youth, to keep them
young and beautiful forever. Idun is the daughter of the dwarf Ivald, and she is married
to Bragi “the God of poetry and music”. Her apples were once stolen by a giant with the
help of the Trickster God Loki causing the gods to wither.

Creatures in the Scandinavian Mythology

Giant : Ymir

Ymir is the first of the giants in Norse mythology, he sucked on the cow
Auðhumla’s udder for his nourishment. He formed two more giants from the sweat under
his arms and a third from his legs. Ymir was eventually killed by Odin and his two
brothers, because they thought the giants started to breed like rats. Ymir’s body was then
used to create the nine worlds in Norse mythology.

Giant : Hel

Hel is a giantess the daughter of Loki the trickster God and the giantess Angrboda.
She is also the sister of the wolf Fenrir and the world serpent Jormungand. It was Odin
the chief of the Aesir who threw Hel down into the underworld, Hel then made the
underworld into her own realm and crowned herself Queen of Helheim.

The entrance into Helheim, is guarded by a dog named Garm “Hell Hound” the dog
is bound in the cave called Gnipacave “Gnipahulen” the dog and is howling, everytime
new people arrive. The dragon Nidhogg (old norse “Níðhöggr”) will then be alarmed that
new blood is on the way. Nidhogg will then suck the blood out of all the dead people
who arrive, so they become completely pale.

When all the blood has left their bodies, it is easier for Hel, to get them into her
army of the dead. The army will one day attack and destroy the world at Ragnarok which
is “the end of the world”. Hel will use her ship Naglfar, it is built with the nails from the
dead.

Hel is surrounded by a tall fence called Nágrindr “Corpse-Fence”, and it is a very

creepy place to be. But not everyone will go to Helheim when they die, it is only those
who died of illness, old age or was not brave enough in the eyes of the Gods that was
sent to Hel. Hel lives inside Helheim in a big hall called “Icy cold and sleet”, her throne
is called “sotte bed” and her bed is called sick-bed, and the curtains around it Misfortune.
The dining table is called Hunger and the knife is called starvation.

Giant : Surt

Surtr (In Old Norse “black” or “the swarthy one) is a fire giant with a flaming sword,
and ruler of Muspellheim “The land of fire”. Surtr will at Ragnarok “end of the world”
set fire to the world. He will also kill the God Freyr, after a long battle.

Giant : Fenrir

One of the three children of Loki by a giantess (jötunn) named Angrboða, Fenrir
plays an imperative, though short, role in Norse mythology. A wolf of remarkable size
and strength, Fenrir has one major story recorded in the Norse sagas, yet this singular
story paints a picture of bravery for one god and an omen of death for the rest of them.
Fenrir, unfortunately for the Æsir and Vanir, turned out to be one of the many
foreshadowing signs of the end of the Norse world: Ragnarök.

Fenrir's tale begins, as any tale should, with his unlikely and terrible birth. When
Fenrir (also called Fenrisúlfr) was born, along with his other siblings, the great serpent
Jörmungandr and the dark haired woman Hel, the Æsir of Asgard, assembled to discuss
what to do with these three very dangerous beings—all of whom were prophesized to aid
in the future destruction of the Norse cosmos. Hel was sent to Niflheim, a very cold and
dark place, while Jörmungandr was sent into the sea, to remain submerged until the end
of days. Fenrir, however, posed a much more dangerous problem. While Hel and
Jörmungandr could be sent away, Fenrir was growing at a rapid speed, and soon became
a jötunn among wolves, as it were. To protect the Æsir from his size and the terrible fate
they knew would one day come, they decided to be contain Fenrir.

Giant : Jormungand

Jormungand also called the “Midgard Serpent,” is a snake or dragon who lives in the
ocean that surrounds Midgard, the visible world. So enormous is he that his body forms a
circle around the entirety of Midgard. He’s one of the three children of Loki and the
giantess Angrboða, along with Hel and Fenrir.

The god Thor is his particular enemy. Two battles between them are recounted in the
Eddas. In one, Thor fishes for Jormungand, and fails to pull him up only when the giant
Hymir, terrified that this will bring about Ragnarok, severs the line, sending the snake
back down to the depths. When Ragnarok does arrive, however, Thor and the Midgard
Serpent are destined to slay each other.

Giant : Nidhogg

Nidhogg is the foremost of several serpents or dragons who dwell beneath the
world-tree Yggdrasil and eat its roots. This is highly injurious to the tree, which holds
the Nine Worlds of the cosmos. Nidhogg’s actions have the intention of pulling the
cosmos back to chaos, and he, along with his reptilian cohort, can therefore surely be
classified among the giants.

From this it would make sense for Nidhogg to have a prominent role in Ragnarok,
the cyclically recurrent event in which the giants succeed in destroying the cosmos. This
does indeed seem to be the case. In one especially important Old Norse poem , Nidhogg
is described as flying out from beneath Yggdrasil during Ragnarok, presumably to aid
the giants’ cause. Later in the same poem, Nidhogg is also said to preside over a part of
the underworld called Náströnd where perjurers, murderers, and adulterers are punished.

Dwarves

The dwarves also sometimes referred to as dark elves are small and misshapen
creatures, they originated as maggots from Ymir’s corpse who was the first of the giants
in Norse mythology. The dwarves lives inside the mountains deep deep down in the dark
underground, in a place called Svartalfheim also known as Niðavellir.

The dwarves are known for being some of the best blacksmiths, not only do they
have natural abilities to craft weapons and jewellery. Some of the dwarves also have
magical powers which they use to add special powers to their creations. The dwarves just
love rare metals and treasures so they spend alot of their time digging in the mountains to
find more. The dwarves are so great craftsmen, that they have created some of the most
known artifacts for the Gods and Goddesses in Asgard.

Valkyries

Valkyries are female spirit warriors that ride the battlefields and find worthy slain
warriors and takes them to Valhalla where they will train until Ragnarok. The northern
lights are light shining off of their shields. Valhalla is the Hall of the Slain. It exists in
Asgard, home of the gods.
 Norse Tales

The body of stories that we today call “Norse mythology” formed one of the
centerpieces of the pagan Norse religion. These are the tales that Viking poets recited
in dimly lit halls to the captivated attendees of grand feasts, and which fathers and
mothers told to their children around roaring hearth-fires on long winter nights.
They are epic myths of war, magic, love, betrayal, triumph, and ruin. Not only
did they provide deep wells of religious meaning for the Vikings; they also speak to
much that is timeless and universal in the human condition, and so continue to
provide modern audiences from around the world with wonder, entertainment, and
even spiritual nourishment for some.
Since the pre-Christian Norse never wrote down their myths – theirs was an
almost exclusively oral culture – the primary sources upon which our current
knowledge of Norse mythology rests were all written while the Norse
were converting to Christianity, or generations thereafter.
The chronology of Norse mythology has a clear beginning in the creation myth,
and a clear ending in the tale of Ragnarok. Norse mythology was never a neat, tidy
system; the Viking mind didn’t demand the same kind of strict, rational codification
that the modern mind does. Instead, the Vikings seem to have been much more
concerned with how much the myths spoke to their hearts and imaginations, as well as
the degree to which the myths reflected and made sense of the world as they
experienced it. In other words, they were more interested in the stories’ existential
significance than in fitting them into a doctrinally and chronologically precise
framework.

• The Aesir-Vanir War – The two tribes of gods fight the first war that was ever
fought.
• The Creation of Thor’s Hammer – Loki stirs up mischief among the dwarves
and almost loses his head, but ultimately gives the gods several priceless gifts,
including Thor’s mighty hammer.
• Why Odin is One-Eyed – Odin voluntarily gives up one of his eyes in exchange
for one of the greatest prizes in the universe.
• Odin’s Discovery of the Runes – After “sacrificing himself to himself,” Odin
gains fearsome magical powers.
• The Binding of Fenrir – The wolf Fenrir, one of Loki’s dreadful children, is
finally subdued, but only after the god Tyr loses something very dear to him.
• The Death of Baldur – Baldur, one of the most cherished gods, dies an
improbable death through the wickedness of Loki.
• Loki Bound – Loki is punished in a particularly agonizing way for his murder of
Baldur.
• Ragnarok – The gods meet the giants for the final battle that will save or doom
the world.
 The Aesir-Vanir War

In Norse mythology, gods and goddesses usually belong to one of two tribes:
the Aesir and the Vanir. Throughout most of the Norse tales, deities from the two
tribes get along fairly easily, and it’s hard to pin down firm distinctions between the
two groups. But there was a time when that wasn’t the case.

The Vanir goddess Freya was always the foremost practitioner of the art of seidr,
the most terribly powerful kind of magic. Like historical seidr practitioners, she
wandered from town to town plying her craft for hire.
Under the name Heiðr (“Bright”), she eventually came to Asgard, the home of the
Aesir. The Aesir were quite taken by her powers and zealously sought her services.
But soon they realized that their values of honor, kin loyalty, and obedience to the law
were being pushed aside by the selfish desires they sought to fulfill with the witch’s
magic. Blaming Freya for their own shortcomings, the Aesir called her “Gullveig”
(“Gold-greed”) and attempted to murder her. Three times they tried to burn her, and
three times she was reborn from the ashes.
Because of this, the Aesir and Vanir came to hate and fear one another, and these
hostilities erupted into war. The Aesir fought by the rules of plain combat, with
weapons and brute force, while the Vanir used the subtler means of magic. The war
went on for some time, with both sides gaining the upper hand by turns.
Eventually the two tribes of divinities became weary of fighting and decided to call a
truce. As was customary among the ancient Norse and other Germanic peoples, the
two sides agreed to pay tribute to each other by sending hostages to live among the
other tribe. Freya, Freyr, and Njord of the Vanir went to the Aesir,
and Hoenir (pronounced roughly “HIGH-neer”) and Mimir went to the Vanir.
Njord and his children seem to have lived more or less in peace in Asgard.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Hoenir and Mimir in Vanaheim. The Vanir
immediately saw that Hoenir was seemingly able to deliver incomparably wise advice
on any problem, but they failed to notice that this was only when he had Mimir in his
company. Hoenir was actually a rather slow-witted simpleton who was at a loss for
words when Mimir wasn’t available to counsel him. After Hoenir responded to the
Vanir’s entreaties with the unhelpful “Let others decide” one too many times, the
Vanir thought they had been cheated in the hostage exchange. They beheaded Mimir
and sent the severed head back to Asgard, where the distraught Odin chanted magic
poems over the head and embalmed it in herbs. Thus preserved, Mimir’s head
continued to give indispensable advice to Odin in times of need.
The two tribes were still weary of fighting a war that was so evenly-matched,
however. Rather than renewing their hostilities over this tragic misunderstanding,
each of the Aesir and Vanir came together and spat into a cauldron. From their saliva
they created Kvasir, the wisest of all beings, as a way of pledging sustained harmony.
 Odin’s Discovery Of The Runes

Odin is a relentless seeker of knowledge and wisdom, and is willing to sacrifice

almost anything for this pursuit. The most outstanding feature of his appearance, his
one eye, attests to this; he sacrificed his other eye for more wisdom.
The runes are the written letters that were used by the Norse and other Germanic
peoples before the adoption of the Latin alphabet in the later Middle Ages. Unlike the
Latin alphabet, which is an essentially utilitarian script, the runes are symbols of some
of the most powerful forces in the cosmos. In fact, the word “rune” and its cognates
across past and present Germanic languages mean both “letter” and “secret/mystery.”
The letters called “runes” allow one to access, interact with, and influence the
world-shaping forces they symbolize. Thus, when Odin sought the runes, he wasn’t
merely attempting to acquire a set of arbitrary representations of human vocal sounds.
Rather, he was uncovering an extraordinarily potent system of magic.

At the center of the Norse cosmos stands the great tree Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil’s
upper branches cradle Asgard, the home and fortress of the Aesir gods and goddesses,
of whom Odin is the chief.
Yggdrasil grows out of the Well of Urd, a pool whose fathomless depths hold
many of the most powerful forces and beings in the cosmos. Among these beings are
the Norns, three sagacious maidens who create the fatesof all beings. One of the
foremost techniques they use to shape fate is carving runes into Yggdrasil’s trunk.
The symbols then carry these intentions throughout the tree, affecting everything in
the Nine Worlds.
Odin watched the Norns from his seat in Asgard and envied their powers and
their wisdom. And he bent his will toward the task of coming to know the runes.
Since the runes’ native home is in the Well of Urd with the Norns, and since the runes
do not reveal themselves to any but those who prove themselves worthy of such
fearful insights and abilities, Odin hung himself from a branch of Yggdrasil, pierced
himself with his spear, and peered downward into the shadowy waters below. He
forbade any of the other gods to grant him the slightest aid, not even a sip of water.
And he stared downward, and stared downward, and called to the runes.
He survived in this state, teetering on the precipice that separates the living from
the dead, for no less than nine days and nights. At the end of the ninth night, he at last
perceived shapes in the depths: the runes! They had accepted his sacrifice and shown
themselves to him, revealing to him not only their forms, but also the secrets that lie
within them. Having fixed this knowledge in his formidable memory, Odin ended his
ordeal with a scream of exultation. Having been initiated into the mysteries of the
runes, Odin recounted:
Then I was fertilized and became wise;
I truly grew and thrived.
 From a word to a word I was led to a word,
From a work to a work I was led to a work.
Equipped with the knowledge of how to wield the runes, he became one of the
mightiest and most accomplished beings in the cosmos. He learned chants that
enabled him to heal emotional and bodily wounds, to bind his enemies and render
their weapons worthless, to free himself from constraints, to put out fires, to expose
and banish practitioners of malevolent magic, to protect his friends in battle, to wake
the dead, to win and keep a lover, and to perform many other feats like these.
 How Odin Lost His Eye

Odin All-Father was troubled deeply. The whisperings of Ygdrassil had told him
the prophecies of the end, of Ragnarok. He had listened and knew of how Surtr the
Black would join the giants in their war against the gods, how he would arise out of
the flames of Muspell and drown the earth in fire. Odin’s wisdom told him that he
could not prevent this end, but he hoped that perhaps, with wisdom, something could
be saved of the gods and of men.
So disguised as a greying old man, Odin travelled the Bifrost to Midgard and
began to search for the well of Mimir. The well lay beneath the root of Ygdrassil that
grew out of Jotunheim. It was kept my Mimir, the man who drank it’s wisdom each
morning and who kept watch over the Gjallar-horn that Heimdallr, the white watcher,
will blow on the day of Ragnarok.
Many days and many nights did Odin travel, meeting man and giant alike.
Challenging and being challenged, he learned the location of the well and also of the
great price of it’s waters, for Mimir never asked less than the right eye of any who
would drink. After many more days of travel, he came to the edge of the well deep in
Jotunheim.
“Hail, Mimir, drinker of the mead of wisdom,” Odin cried.
“Hail Odin, ruler of the Aesir. Welcome and come.”
“I would have a draught from the well.”
“And, great All-Father, will you pay the price?”
“I shall.”
And so Mimir took up the horn Gjallar and filled it with good water from the well
and gave the horn to Odin to drink. Odin, seeing the pain and loss before him, steeled
his mind and body, took the horn to his lips, and drank deeply. As the water entered
him, his eyes opened and saw. He saw the great and terrible sufferings that must
befall both men and gods. Yet also, he saw their reasons and causes and why they
must be. He drank again and saw the ways that gods and men might, in great noble
courage, fight and defeat the evils that would surly arise, though at great cost for he
saw also his death and the death of the Aesir that lived in Asgard by his side. How
mighty Thor would succumb to the venom of the great serpent, and how Loki would
come against Heimdallr and each be the others slayer, he saw his own defeat at the
jaws of Fenrir, and many more deaths and failings that would come of Ragnarok.
After he saw these things, Odin put his hand to his face and plucked out his right
eye. The pain was great and searing, but he made no sound nor showed his great
suffering. Mimir took the eye and threw it into the well where it sunk deep but
glistened like glass, a sign to any who might pass of the price Odin All-Father paid for
his wisdom.
 And Odin returned to Asgard and sat upon his throne and considered the things
he had seen.
 The Creation Of Thor’s Hammer

One day, Loki the trickster found himself in an especially mischievous mood and
cut off the gorgeous golden hair of Sif, the wife of Thor. When Thor learned of this,
his quick temper was enraged, and he seized Loki and threatened to break every bone
in his body. Loki pleaded with the thunder god to let him go down to Svartalfheim,
the cavernous home of the dwarves, and see if those master craftspeople could fashion
a new head of hair for Sif, this one even more beautiful than the original. Thor
allowed this, and off Loki went to Svartalfheim.
There he was able to obtain what he desired. The sons of the dwarf Ivaldi forged
not only a new head of hair for Sif, but also two other marvels: Skidbladnir
(“Assembled from Thin Pieces of Wood”), the best of all ships, which always has a
favorable wind and can be folded up and put into one’s pocket,
and Gungnir (“Swaying”), the deadliest of all spears.
Having accomplished his task, Loki was overcome by an urge to remain in the
caves of the dwarves and revel in more recklessness. He approached the brothers
Brokkr and Sindri (“Metalworker” and “Spark-sprayer,” respectively) and taunted
them, saying that he was sure the brothers could never forge three new creations equal
to those the sons of Ivaldi had fashioned. In fact, he even bet his head on their lack of
ability. Brokkr and Sindri, however, accepted the wager.
As they worked, a fly (who, of course, was none other than Loki in disguise)
stung Sindri’s hand. When the dwarf pulled his creation out of the fire, it was a living
boar with golden hair. This was Gullinbursti (“Golden-bristled”), who gave off light
in the dark and could run better than any horse, even through water or air. Sindri then
set another piece of gold on the fire as Brokkr worked the bellows. The fly bit Brokkr
on the neck, and Sindri drew out a magnificent ring, Draupnir (“Dripper”). From this
ring, every ninth night, fall eight new golden rings of equal weight.
Sindri then put iron on the hearth, and told Brokkr that, for this next working,
they must be especially meticulous, for a mistake would be more costly than with the
previous two projects. Loki immediately stung Brokkr’s eyelid, and the blood blocked
the dwarf’s eye, preventing him from properly seeing his work. Sindri produced a
hammer of unsurpassed quality, which never missed its mark and would boomerang
back to its owner after being thrown, but it had one flaw: the handle was short. Sindri
lamented that this had almost ruined the piece, which was called Mjollnir
(“Lightning”). Nevertheless, sure of the great worth of their three treasures, Sindri and
Brokkr made their way to Asgard to claim the wages that were due to them.
Loki made it to the halls of the gods before the dwarves and presented the
marvels he had acquired. To Thor he gave Sif’s new hair and the hammer Mjollnir.
To Odin went the ring Draupnir and the spear Gungnir. And Freyr was the happy
recipient of Skidbladnir and Gullinbursti.
 As grateful as the gods were to receive these gifts – especially Mjollnir, which
they foresaw would be of inestimable help in their battles against the giants – they
nevertheless concluded that Loki still owed the dwarves his head. When the dwarves
approached Loki with knives, the cunning god pointed out that he had promised them
his head, but not his neck. Brokkr and Sindri contented themselves with sewing
Loki’s mouth shut, and returned to their forge.
 The Binding Of Fenrir

The Norse pseudo-god Loki, who is by turns the friend and the enemy of the
other gods, had three fearfully hideous and strong children with
the giantess Angrboda (“She Who Bodes Anguish”). The first was the
serpent Jormungand, and the second was the death-goddess Hel. The third was the
wolf Fenrir.
The gods had terrible forebodings concerning the fate of these three beings. And
they were absolutely correct. Jormungand would later kill the
god Thor during Ragnarok, the downfall of the cosmos, an event which would be
largely brought about by Hel’s refusal to release the radiant god Baldur from the
underworld. During these cataclysmic events, Fenrir would devour Odin, the chief of
the gods.
In order to keep these monsters at bay, they threw Jomungand into the ocean,
where he encircled Midgard, the world of humankind. Hel they relegated to
the underworld. Fenrir, however, inspired too much fear in them for them to let him
out from under their watchful eyes, so they reared the pup themselves in their
stronghold, Asgard. Only Tyr, the indefatigable upholder of law and honor, dared to
approach Fenrir to feed him.
Fenrir grew at an alarming rate, however, and soon the gods decided that his stay
in Asgard had to be temporary. Knowing well how much devastation he would cause
if he were allowed to roam free, the gods attempted to bind him with various chains.
They were able to gain the wolf’s consent by telling him that these fetters were tests
of his strength, and clapping and cheering when, with each new chain they presented
him, he broke free.
At last, the gods sent a messenger down to Svartalfheim, the realm of the dwarves.
The dwarves, being the most skilled craftspeople in the cosmos, were able to forge a
chain whose strength couldn’t be equaled; it was wrought from the sound of a cat’s
footsteps, the beard of a woman, the roots of mountains, the breath of a fish, and the
spittle of a bird – in other words, things which don’t exist, and against which it’s
therefore futile to struggle. Gleipnir (“Open”) was its name.
When the gods presented Fenrir with the curiously light and supple Gleipnir, the
wolf suspected trickery and refused to be bound with it unless one of the gods would
lay his or her hand in his jaws as a pledge of good faith. None of the gods agreed,
knowing that this would mean the loss of a hand and the breaking of an oath. At last,
the brave Tyr, for the good of all life, volunteered to fulfill the wolf’s demand. And,
sure enough, when Fenrir discovered that he was unable to escape from Gleipnir, he
chomped off and swallowed Tyr’s hand.
 The Death Of Baldur

Baldur was one of the most beloved of all the gods. The son of Odin, the chief of
the gods, and the benevolent sorceress goddess Frigg, Baldur was a generous, joyful,
and courageous character who gladdened the hearts of all who spent time with him.
When, therefore, he began to have ominous dreams of some grave misfortune
befalling him, the fearful gods appointed Odin to discover their meaning.
Baldur’s father wasted no time in mounting his steed, Sleipnir, and riding to
the underworld to consult a dead seeress whom he knew to be especially wise in such
matters. When, in one of his countless disguises, he reached the cold and misty
underworld, he found the halls arrayed in splendor, as if some magnificent feast were
about to occur. Odin woke the seeress and questioned her concerning this festivity,
and she responded that the guest of honor was to be none other than Baldur. She
merrily recounted how the god would meet his doom, stopping only when she realized,
from the desperate nature of Odin’s entreaties, who this disguised wanderer truly was.
And, indeed, all that she prophesied would come to pass. Odin returned in sorrow
to Asgard, the gods’ celestial stronghold, and told his companions what he had been
told. Frigg, yearning for any chance of saving her treasured son, however remote,
went to every entity in the cosmos, living or nonliving, and obtained oaths to not harm
Baldur.
After these oaths were secured, the gods made a sport out of the situation. They
threw sticks, rocks, and anything else on hand at Baldur, and everyone laughed as
these things bounced off and left the shining god unharmed.
The wily and disloyal Loki sensed an opportunity for mischief. In disguise, he
went to Frigg and asked her, “Did all things swear oaths to spare Baldur from harm?”
“Oh, yes,” the goddess replied, “everything except the mistletoe. But the mistletoe is
so small and innocent a thing that I felt it superfluous to ask it for an oath. What harm
could it do to my son?” Immediately upon hearing this, Loki departed, located the
mistletoe, carved a spear out of it, and brought it to where the gods were playing their
new favorite game.
He approached the blind god Hodr (Old Norse Höðr, “Slayer”) and said, “You
must feel quite left out, having to sit back here away from the merriment, not being
given a chance to show Baldur the honor of proving his invincibility.” The blind god
concurred. “Here,” said Loki, handing him the shaft of mistletoe. “I will point your
hand in the direction where Baldur stands, and you throw this branch at him.” So Hod
threw the mistletoe. It pierced the god straight through, and he fell down dead on the
spot.
The gods found themselves unable to speak as they trembled with anguish and
fear. They knew that this event was the first presage of Ragnarok, the downfall and
death, not just of themselves, but of the very cosmos they maintained.
 At last, Frigg composed herself enough to ask if there were any among them who
were brave, loyal, and compassionate enough to journey to the land of the dead and
offer Hel, the death-goddess, a ransom for Baldur’s release. Hermod, an obscure son
of Odin, offered to undertake this mission. Odin instructed Sleipnir to bear Hermod to
the underworld, and off he went.
The gods arranged a lavish funeral for their fallen friend. They turned Baldur’s
ship, Hringhorni (“Ship with a Circle at the Stem”), into a pyre fitting for a great king.
When the time came to launch the ship out to sea, however, the gods found the ship
stuck in the sand and themselves unable to force it to budge. After many failed
attempts they summoned the brawniest being in the cosmos, a certain giantess named
Hyrrokkin (“Withered by Fire”). Hyrrokkin arrived in Asgard riding a wolf and using
poisonous snakes for reins. She dismounted, walked to the prow of the ship, and gave
it such a mighty push that the land quaked as Hringhorni was freed from the strand.
As Baldur’s body was carried onto the ship, his wife, Nanna, was overcome with
such great grief that she died there on the spot, and was placed on the pyre alongside
her husband. The fire was kindled, and Thor hallowed the flames by holding his
hammer over them. Odin laid upon the pyre his ring Draupnir, and Baldur’s horse was
led into the flames.
All kinds of beings from throughout the Nine Worlds attended this ceremony:
gods, giants, elves, dwarves, valkyries, and others. Together they stood and mourned
as they watched the burning ship disappear over the ocean.
Meanwhile, Hermod rode nine nights through ever darker and deeper valleys on
his quest to rescue the part of Baldur that had been sent to Hel. When he came to the
river Gjoll (Gjöll, “Roaring”), Modgud (Old Norse Móðguðr, “Furious Battle”), the
giantess who guards the bridge, asked him his name and his purpose, adding that it
was strange that his footfalls were as thundering as those of an entire army, especially
since his face still had the color of the living. He answered to her satisfaction, and she
allowed him to cross over into Hel’s realm. Sleipnir leapt over the wall around that
doleful land.
Upon entering and dismounting, Hermod spotted Hel’s throne and Baldur, pale
and downcast, sitting in the seat of honor next to her. Hermod spent the night there,
and when morning came, he pleaded with Hel to release his brother, telling her of the
great sorrow that all living things, and especially the gods, felt for his absence. Hel
responded, “If this is so, then let every thing in the cosmos weep for him, and I will
send him back to you. But if any refuse, he will remain in my presence.”
Hermod rode back to Asgard and told these tidings to the gods, who straightaway
sent messengers throughout the worlds to bear this news to all of their inhabitants.
And, indeed, everything did weep for Baldur – everything, that is, save for one
giantess: Tokk (Þökk, “Thanks”), who was none other than Loki in another disguise.
Tokk coldly told the messengers, “Let Hel hold what she has!”
And so Baldur was condemned to remain in Hel’s darkness, dampness, and cold.
Never again would he grace the lands of the living with his gladdening light and
exuberance.
 Loki Bound

Loki had always been more of a burden than a help to the other gods and
goddesses. But after his contriving the death of Baldur and ensuring that that fair god
would remain in the underworld until the cosmos is destroyed during Ragnarok, he
went about slandering the gods at every opportunity. At last, the gods decided that his
abuse had become too much, and they went to capture him.
Loki ran far away from Asgard. At the peak of a high mountain, he built for
himself a house with four doors so that he could watch for his pursuers from all
directions. By day he turned himself into a salmon and hid beneath a nearby waterfall.
By night he sat by his fire and weaved a net for fishing for his food.
The far-seeing Odin perceived where Loki now dwelt, and the gods went after
him. When Loki saw his former friends approaching, he threw the net in the fire and
hid himself in the stream in his salmon form so as to leave no traces of himself or his
activities. When the gods arrived and saw the net smoldering in the fire, they surmised
that the wily shapeshifter had changed himself into the likeness of those he intended
to catch for himself.
The gods took up the twine Loki had been using and crafted their own net, then
made their way to the stream. Several times they cast their net into the stream, and
each time the salmon barely eluded them. At last, the fish made a bold leap
downstream to swim to the sea, and while in the air he was caught by Thor. The
salmon writhed in the war-god’s grasp, but Thor held him fast by his tail fins. This is
why, to this day, the salmon has a slender tail.
Loki was then taken, in his regular form, to a cave. The gods then brought in
Loki’s two sons and turned one into a wolf, who promptly killed his brother, strewing
his entrails across the cave floor. Loki was then fastened to three rocks in the cave
with the entrails of his slain son, which the gods had turned into iron chains.
Skadi placed a poisonous snake on a rock above his head, where it dripped venom
onto his face. But Loki’s faithful wife, Sigyn, sat by his side with a bowl that she held
up to the snake’s mouth to catch the poison. But every so often, the bowl became full,
and Sigyn would have to leave her husband’s side to dispose of its contents, at which
point the drops that fell onto the unrepentant god’s face would cause him to shake
violently, which brought about earthquakes in Midgard, the world of humanity.
This was the lot of Loki and Sigyn until, as fated, Loki will break free from his
chains at Ragnarok to assist the giants in destroying the cosmos.
 Ragnarok

Ragnarok is the cataclysmic destruction of the cosmos and everything in it – even

the gods. When Norse mythology is considered as a chronological set of tales, the story
of Ragnarok naturally comes at the very end. For the Vikings, the myth of Ragnarok was
a prophecy of what was to come at some unspecified and unknown time in the future, but
it had profound ramifications for how the Vikings understood the world in their own
time.
The word “Ragnarok” comes from Old Norse Ragnarök, “Fate of the Gods.” In an
apparent play on words, some pieces of Old Norse literaturealso refer to it as Ragnarøkkr,
“Twilight of the Gods.” The event was also occasionally referred to as aldar rök, “fate of
mankind,” and a host of other names.

There will be some warning signs if Ragnarok “the end of the world” is coming. The
first sign is the murder of the God Baldr, the son of Odin and Frigg.
The second sign will be three uninterrupted long cold winters that will last for three
years with no summer in between. The name of these uninterrupted winters are called
“Fimbulwinter” during these three long years, the world will be plagued by wars, and
brothers will kill brothers.
The third sign will be the two wolves in the sky swallowing the sun and the moon,
and even the stars will disappear and send the world into a great darkness.

Fimbulwinter

Someday – whenever the Norns, those inscrutable spinners of fate, decree it – there
shall come a Great Winter (Old Norse fimbulvetr, sometimes Anglicized as
“Fimbulwinter”) unlike any other the world has yet seen. The biting winds will blow
snows from all directions, and the warmth of the sun will fail, plunging the earth into
unprecedented cold. This winter shall last for the length of three normal winters, with no
summers in between. Mankind will become so desperate for food and other necessities of
life that all laws and morals will fall away, leaving only the bare struggle for survival. It
will be an age of swords and axes; brother will slay brother, father will slay son, and son
will slay father.
A beautiful red rooster “Fjalar” which name means the “All knower”, will warn all
the giants that the beginning of Ragnarok has begun. At the same time in Hel, will a red
rooster warn all the dishonorable dead, that the war has begun. And also in Asgard, will
a red rooster “Gullinkambi” warn all the Gods.
 The wolves Skoll and Hati, who have hunted the sun and the moon through the skies
since the beginning of time, will at last catch their prey. The stars, too, will disappear,
leaving nothing but a black void in the heavens. Yggdrasil, the great tree that holds the
cosmos together, will tremble, and all the trees and even the mountains will fall to the
ground. The chain that has been holding back the monstrous wolf Fenrir will snap, and
the beast will run free. Jormungand, the mighty serpent who dwells at the bottom of the
ocean and encircles the land, will rise from the depths, spilling the seas over all the earth
as he makes landfall.
These convulsions will shake the ship Naglfar (“Nail Ship”) free from its moorings.
This ship, which is made from the fingernails and toenails of dead men and women, will
sail easily over the flooded earth. Its crew will be an army of giants, the forces of chaos
and destruction. And its captain will be none other than Loki, the traitor to the gods, who
will have broken free of the chains in which the gods have bound him.
Fenrir, with fire blazing from his eyes and nostrils, will run across the earth, with his
lower jaw on the ground and his upper jaw against the top of the sky, devouring
everything in his path. Jormungand will spit his venom over all the world, poisoning land,
water, and air alike.
The dome of the sky will be split, and from the crack shall emerge the fire-giants
from Muspelheim. Their leader shall be Surt, with a flaming sword brighter than the sun
in his hand. As they march across Bifrost, the rainbow bridge to Asgard, the home of the
gods, the bridge will break and fall behind them. An ominous horn blast will ring out;
this will be Heimdall, the divine sentry, blowing the Gjallarhorn to announce the arrival
of the moment the gods have feared. Odin will anxiously consult the head of Mimir, the
wisest of all beings, for counsel.
The Gods, Baldr, and Hod will be returned from the dead, to fight one last time with
their brothers and sisters.
The gods will decide to go to battle, even though they know what the prophecies
have foretold concerning the outcome of this clash. They will arm themselves and meet
their enemies on a battlefield called Vigrid (Old Norse Vígríðr, “Plain Where Battle
Surges”). Odin will be riding on his horse Sleipnir with his eagle helmet equipped and
his spear Gungnir in his hand, and lead the enormous army of Asgard with all the Gods
and brave einherjar to the battleground in the fields of Vigrid.
Odin will fight Fenrir, and by his side will be the einherjar, the host of his chosen
human warriors whom he has kept in Valhalla for just this moment. Odin and the
champions of men will fight more valiantly than anyone has ever fought before. But it
will not be enough. Fenrir will swallow Odin and his men.
Then one of Odin’s sons, Vidar, burning with rage, will charge the beast to avenge
his father. On one of his feet will be the shoe that has been crafted for this very purpose;
it has been made from all the scraps of leather that human shoemakers have ever
discarded, and with it Vidar will hold open the monster’s mouth. Then he will stab his
sword through the wolf’s throat, killing him.
Another wolf, Garm, and the god Tyr will slay each other. Heimdall and Loki will
do the same, putting a final end to the trickster’s treachery, but costing the gods one of
their best in the process.
The god Freyr and the giant Surt will also be the end of each other. Thor and
Jormungand, those age-old foes, will both finally have their chance to kill the other. Thor
will succeed in felling the great snake with the blows of his hammer. But the serpent will
have covered him in so much venom that he will not be able to stand for much longer; he
will take nine paces before falling dead himself and adding his blood to the
already-saturated soil of Vigrid.
Then the remains of the world will sink into the sea, and there will be nothing left
but the void. Creation and all that has occurred since will be completely undone, as if it
had never happened.
A new world, green and beautiful, will arise out of the waters. Vidar and a few other
gods – Vali, Baldur, Hodr, and Thor’s sons Modi and Magni – will survive the downfall
of the old world, and will live joyously in the new one.
A man and a woman, Lif and Lifthrasir (Old Norse Líf and Lífþrasir, “Life” and
“Striving after Life”), will have hidden themselves from the cataclysm in a place called
the “Wood of Hoddmimir” (Hoddmímis holt), and will now come out and populate the
lush land in which they will find themselves.
A new sun, the daughter of the previous one, will rise in the sky. And all of this will
be presided over by a new, almighty ruler.