The mythology of the Vikings is still alive today in popular culture: everyone knows of Thor, the Norse god of war (made popular through the Marvel Cinematic Universe); Ragnarök, the great battle at the end of the world, where many gods and heroes perish and the earth is submerged in water; the tragic love story of Siegfried and Brunhild, central to the music and operas of German composer Richard Wagner; the characters of Loki the Trickster, the great god Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir, and elves, dwarfs and trolls, all popular motifs in 20th century fantasy literature. In Norse Gods & Myths see how Odin exchanged his eye in order to drink from the wisdom-giving Mímisbrunnr magical well; learn how Loki cut off the hair of the beautiful goddess Sif as a practical joke, and had to repay Thor by obtaining the all- powerful hammer Mjöllnir from artisan dwarves; explore how Asgard, the mythical dwelling place of the gods, was fortified by the giant jötunn in exchange for the fertility goddess Freya’s hand in marriage; and marvel at Yggdrasil, the sacred tree around which the Norse cosmos developed. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding with 100 illustrations and photographs, this book will fascinate anyone interested in the mythology that brought us the terrifying giant wolf Fenrir and the goddess Hel, ruler of the underworld.
Contents Introduction: Sources Much of what we know about Norse creation myths come from the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda – two Old Norse textbooks written in Iceland during the early 13th century by scholar Snorri Sturlson. Nineteenth century scholars brought the mythology of Scandinavia back to the popular notice of many people in Germany and England; Norse mythology was recognized as the latest surviving form of Germanic paganism. Creation Myths and Cosmology The universe began with a realm of ice and a realm of fire floating side by side in a void. As these realms crept slowly toward each other, the ice began to melt, and the droplets gathered into the shape of a jötunn, or giant. His name was Ymir, and, when he slept, more jötnar were born from the sweat of his armpits. The first humans were created from fallen trees. After manufacturing the cosmos from Ymir’s corpse, Odin and his brothers began to explore the new realms, and in one place they found a beach, with two tree trunks lying side by side. The trunks resembled a man and a woman, but they were completely lifeless and inert. Midgard, the Middle Earth, the abode of mankind, made from the body of the first created being, the giant Ymir. Yggdrasill, in Norse mythology, the world tree, a giant ash supporting the universe. Gods: A–Z Norse mythology is unusual in that it has two sets of deities who became a single pantheon. The clash between the Aesir (gods of war) and Vanir (gods of nature or fertility) could have a different mythic significance, however. It might indicate a change in society to a more martial outlook, since although the two sets of gods are supposedly equal, the Aesir seem to be the senior partners. • Baldur - God of beauty, innocence, peace, and rebirth. Consort: Nanna. Dead, Killed by his blind brother, Höðr, who was tricked by Loki into killing him with a spear of mistletoe. • Borr - Father of Óðinn, Vili and Ve. Consort: Bestla • Bragi - God of poetry, music and the harp. Consort: Iðunn. • Búri - Ruler of Prehistory, the first god and father of Borr. • Dagur - God of the daytime, son of Delling and Nótt. • Delling - God of the dawn. • Eir - Goddess of healing. • Ēostre - Goddess of spring. • Elli - Goddess of old age. • Forseti - God of justice, peace and truth. Son of Baldr and Nanna. • Freyja - Goddess of love, fertility, and battle. Consort: Óður • Freyr - God of fertility. Consort: Gerð. • Frigg - Goddess of marriage and motherhood. Consort: Óðinn. Can also be pronounced "Frigga". • Fulla - Frigg ́s handmaid. • Gefjun - Goddess of fertility and plough. • Hel - Queen of Helheim, the Norse underworld. Daughter of Loki • Heimdallur - One of the Æsir and guardian of Ásgarð, their realm. • Hermóður - The heroic son of Odin.Tried to rescue Baldur. • Hlín - Goddess of consolation and protection. • Höðr - God of winter. Killed by Vali. • Hœnir - The silent god. • Iðunn - Goddess of youth. Consort: Bragi. • Jörð - Goddess of the Earth. Mother of Þórr by Óðinn. • Kvasir - God of inspiration. Killed by Dwarves. • Lofn - Goddess of forbidden loves. • Loki - Trickster and god of mischief . • Magni - god of strength. Son of Thor. • Máni - God of Moon. • Mímir - Óðinn ́s uncle. Decapitated by Vanir. • Nanna - Goddess of joy and peace, an Ásynja married with Baldr and mother to Forseti. Died because of Baldur's death. • Nerþus - A goddess mentioned by Tacitus. Her name is connected to that of Njörðr. • Njörður - God of sea, wind, fish, and wealth. Killed in Ragnarok. • Nótt - Goddess of night, daughter of Narvi and mother of Auð, Jörð and Dagur by Naglfari, Annar and Delling, respectively. • Óðinn - The "All Father" God of war, associated to wisdom, poetry, and magic (The Ruler of the gods). • Sága - Goddess of wisdom. Possibly another name for Frigg. • Rán - Goddess of the sea. Wife of Ægir. • Sif - Goddess of harvest. Wife of Thor. • Sigyn - Goddess of fidelity. Wife of Loki. • Sjöfn - Goddess of love. • Skaði - Goddess of winter; Njörðr's wife. • Snotra - Goddess of prudence. • Sol (Sunna) - Goddess of Sun. Swallowed by Skoll. • Thor - son of Óðinn God of thunder and battle. Consort: Sif. • Thruer - daughter of Thor and Sif. • Týr - God of war. Also the god of the skies. • Ullr - God of ski/winter, hunt, and duel. Son of Sif. • Váli - God of revenge. • Vár - Goddess of contract. • Vé - One of the three gods of creation. Brother of Óðinn and Vili. • Víðarr - God of the forest, revenge and silence. • Vör - Goddess of wisdom Jotnar and Other Creatures Norse mythology was populated by a range of creatures, in addition to mortals and gods. Some were monsters, some personifications of natural forces, and some were powerful supernatural beings. Others, like the Jotnar, were very similar to the gods and could have children with them. Many of the gods had at least one parent who was a Jotunn. Norse mythology tells of a variety of magical creatures. These include Elves, Dwarfs, Trolls, Valkyrie, multi-legged horses like Sleipnir, sea beasts such as Jormungand, the wolf Fenrir, and the gold-hoarding dragon Fafnir. A Valkyrie is a figure in Norse mythology depicted as a warrior woman on horseback, a wolf or boar, and armed with a spear, who decides the fate of warriors in battle and carries the dead to Odin's Valhalla. Heroes Sigmund Signy, see Valkyries Hjordis (Sisibe), see Valkyries Sinfjotli Helgi Helgi Hiorvardsson Sigurd/Siegfried Hagen Gunnar Hogni Gudrun (Grimhild) Brunhild Thiðrek Völund Viðga Heimir Ragnarok The Valkyrie are maidens who carry half of those slain in battle to Valhalla to be ready to do combat when Ragnarok, the foretold battle at the end of the world, arrives. Some dead go to Hel. At Ragnarok, the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Heimdallr, and Loki are killed by fire jotunn; the world is destroyed and then repopulated by two human survivors.
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