Norse mythology

Norse or Scandinavian mythology is the belief and legends of the Scandinavian people. It is a version of the older Germanic mythology and was later replaced by Christianity for the most part.

The Norse gods were mortal. Only by eating Iðunn's apples could they hope to live until Ragnarök. Image by J. Penrose, 1890.

Norse mythology is a set of beliefs and stories shared by Northern Germanic tribes. It was not handed down from the gods to the mortal and had no scripture. It was passed on from one generation to the next and by poetry. It continued to be passed down that way until the time of the Vikings. The original beliefs have long been lost. Our knowledge about it is mainly based on the Eddas and other mediaeval texts, which were written down while and after the Scandinavians converted to Christianity.

Cosmology

In Norse mythology, the universe was thought to have nine realms, or “worlds”. The gods lived in Asgard, which could not be reached except by walking across the rainbow (the Bifröst bridge). The Frost Giants lived in a place called Jötunheimr, which means "giant realm".

A cold, dark place, called Niflheim, was ruled by Hel, who was the daughter of Loki. It was the eventual home of most of the dead. Located somewhere in the south was the fiery realm of Muspelheim, the home of the fire giants.

Between Asgard and Niflheim was Midgard, the world of men.

Supernatural beings

Thor often fought the giants.

There were three "clans" of deities: the Æsir, the Vanir, and the Jötnar (referred to as "giants" in this article). After a long war, the Æsir and the Vanir made peace and joined together.

The Æsir and the Vanir were enemies of the Jötnar, or "giants". The Æsir are descendants of the Jötnar. Both Æsir and the Vanir intermarried with the Jötnar. There were two kinds of giants: frost-giants and fire-giants.

There were many other supernatural beings, including:

• Fenrir, the gigantic wolf
• Jörmungandr, the sea-serpent that was coiled around the world.
• Heimdall, the guardian of the gods.
• Hugin and Munin (thought and memory), the two ravens who kept Odin informed of what happened on earth.
• Ratatoskr, the squirrel that scampered in the branches of the world tree, Yggdrasil.

Sources

Most of the mythology was passed down orally as skaldic poetry, and much of it has been lost. Some of it was recorded by Christian scholars. The earlier detailed records come from the Eddas and the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, but mentions of their deities and mythology go back to Cornelius Tacitus’s report of Germania in 98 AD.

There are also several runestones and image stones that show scenes from Norse mythology such as Thor's fishing trip and Odin being devoured by Fenrir.

Modern influences

Day (Norwegian)	Origin
Søndag	The Sun's day
Mandag	Moon's day
Tirsdag	Tyr's day
Onsdag	Odin's day
Torsdag	Thor's day
Fredag	Freyja or Frigg's day
Lørdag	Day of Saturn (English and Dutch), day of bath (Danish and Norwegian), Sabbath (German)

The Germanic gods have affected elements of everyday western life in most countries that speak Germanic languages. An example is some of the names of the days of the week. The days were named after Roman gods in Latin (named after Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn). The names for Tuesday through Friday were replaced with Germanic versions of the Roman gods. In English, Saturn was not replaced. Saturday is named after the sabbath in German and is called "washing day" in Scandinavia.

Modern popular culture

J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings was influenced by Northern European mythology. As it became popular, parts of its fantasy world moved into how people see the fantasy genre. In almost any modern fantasy novel, Norse creatures like elves, dwarves and giants can be found.

Other websites

• W. Wagner's "Asgard and the Home of the Gods" e-book Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
• Peter Andreas Munch's "Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes" e-book Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
• heimskringla.no Old Norse Prose and Poetry
• Timeless Myths - Norse Mythology - Information and tales from Norse and Germanic literatures
• Norse Gods, Goddesses, Giants, Dwarves and Wights Archived 2017-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
• CyberSamurai Encyclopedia of Norse Mythology Archived 2011-01-28 at the Wayback Machine