Sports Tribute: Matthew Stafford

 As a lifelong Detroit Lions fan I felt it necessary to make a post on the recent departure of our quarterback #9, Matthew Stafford. He has been the face and leader of our team since he was drafted as the 1st pick in 2009. For 12 seasons he starred at quarterback for the Lions, and broke so many statistical records. Although he never achieved any proper glory (0-3 in the playoffs) I still want to give him some homage here. I would ultimately define Matt Stafford as a good quarterback, but not a great quarterback. He is however in my opinion the greatest Lions quarterback of all time. He is also my third favorite Lions player behind Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson. 

The Arrival of Matthew Stafford

So a quick recap on my Lions fanhood; it began as a teenager in the mid 90s, inspired by the great Barry Sanders. In those days we were a running team, and despite the inconsistent performances of our quarterback Scott Mitchell, we were still a decent team. After their impressive 1991 season, by which they won the division and a playoff game, the Lions made it 5 more times in the 90s as a wildcard team (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1999). Even though they lost each of those games, it was still an encouraging time to be a Lions fan, much thanks to the greatness of Barry Sanders. 

However after the sudden (and early) retirement of Barry Sanders, the Lions took a sharp decline in the 2000s. They underwent various quarterback changes including Charlie Batch, the epic flop of Joey Harrington, and the vet John Kitna. Then came the infamous 0-16 season in 2008, by which the Lions became the 1st winless team in NFL history. The Lions had completely hit rock bottom and a total face-lift was much needed. Enter head coach Jim Shwartz, and superstars Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh, and the 1st round draft pick of 2009 Matthew Stafford.

After 3 successful seasons at the University of Georgia, Matthew Stafford became the #1 draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 2009. He started in 10 games and quickly hit it off with superstar receiver Calvin Johnson, aka "Megatron". His opening season was promising, however he struggled with injuries and the Lions still finished a disappointing 2-14. The following season he only played in 3 games before once again missing out due to injuries. His NFL career had no doubt gotten off to a rough start and it appeared he was going to be yet another draft bust for the Lions. Then came his breakout year in 2011. 

The Breakout of Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford starred in all 16 games in the 2011 season and threw for a career high of 5038 yards. The Stafford-Megatron connection became the most formidable QB-Receiver duo in the league. Calvin Johnson led the league in reception yards with 1681. Despite his breakout season, Stafford was somehow snubbed for the Pro Bowl selection. The Lions finished with an impressive 10-6 record and made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. However they unfortunately loss to the New Orleans Saints. I remember ordering some chicken wings for this game and watching it on my computer at my apartment in Indy. Despite the disappointing loss it was quite encouraging to see the Lions finally had some star power again. 

I revamped my NFL attention in 2013 when I started a new job at Dow Agro and gave my full attention to the on-goings of my Detroit Lions. I watched as much media as I could on my down-time at work, including analysis and press conferences from head coach Jim Shwartz. And I watched every game on Sunday, often with my neighbor and fellow Lions fan, Josh. In 2013 we had a very promising season, yet finished poorly towards to the end of the season, with a 7-9 record. This marked the end of Shwartz's career and the start of the Jim Caldwell era. Caldwell arrived in 2014 as a respected NFL veteran and further upgraded the Lions credibility. Stafford and Megatron continued to put up big numbers, and the team made the playoffs twice more in 2014 and 2016. Stafford established himself as the comeback king, and made the Pro Bowl in 2014, and broke the single season comeback record in 2016. 

The Lions had so much potential from 2014-2018, and finally had achieved some above average credibility. In 2016 a new GM from New England Bob Quinn was hired with intentions to take the Lions to an even higher level. Yet after another disappointing mediocre finish of 7-9 finish in 2018, Quinn decided to fire Caldwell and replace him with a fellow New Englander Matt Patricia. The Detroit Lions thus attempted to mimic the system of the successful New England Patriots which quickly proved to be an epic fail. The Patricia/Bob Quinn era in Detroit was a total failure after 3 seasons, and the Lions digressed entirely. Stafford's career also digressed and in 2019 he brought an end to his impressive 139 consecutive starts. The following season he also struggled with poor play and injury. And so after 12 seasons at the age of 32 Stafford came to a mutual decision to part ways with the Detroit Lions. 

The Down Sides

So now I want to break down the good sides and down sides of Matt Stafford's game. I want to be quite frank here in saying that he was hands down the best Lions quarterback we've ever had, however he was not top tier. He had many flaws in his game, and despite his impressive stats, toughness, and comeback victories he also had many downsides. The two biggest stats that define Stafford's lackluster career at Detroit is his 0-3 playoff record, and his 10-60 (approx) record against winning teams. These numbers simply demonstrate that Stafford could never rise to the big occasion required to uplift the Lions to the next level.

Of course there are many cases to be made, that the talented Stafford was operating in a poor system, with poor management, and poor quality around him. These cases are certainly warranted, and the Detroit organization can certainly take some blame for it's poorly run franchise (in comparison to other teams). However aside from the head coach, it's the quarterback who leads the team by example, and thus Stafford is also to blame for Detroit's downsides. If he can be accredited for the good, he certainly can be accredited for the bad. 

My biggest argument with Stafford's overall game style, was his frequent poor decisions. This included taking far too many sacks, and many costly fumbles or interceptions. I can't count the amount of times Stafford turned the ball over on key drives in which the game hung in the balance. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that Stafford was a gifted quarterback, however in the big moments he would often buckle under pressure. That being said he also played best when his back was against the wall and hope was at it's most dismal. This is perhaps why Stafford was able to lead the Lions to so many sneaky comebacks, and acquire so many cheap stats in blown-out games. It seemed he didn't really activate his best play until the 4th quarter, and while this did lead to many comebacks, it ultimately led to more defeats. 

The Good Sides

Now that I got the negative out of the way I want to finish on a positive note and highlight the many good sides to Matt Stafford. For starters, perhaps his greatest asset was his throwing arm. These days there are many types of quarterbacks, ranging from agile/running QB, to the staying-in-the-pocket and throwing QB. Stafford was definitely an old school gunslinger who couldn't scramble or run well, but was very sharp on his throwing. He could throw far, fast, and accurately (into very tight windows) which is no doubt why he broke so many passing yards. If Stafford plays 10 more years he could certainly pass Drew Brees all-time record of 80,358 yards (Stafford sits at 45,100 but if he continues to average 4000 per season he could pass that incredible milestone). 

Another defining quality of Stafford was his remarkable toughness. So many times in his career with the Lions he struggled with various injuries, yet so many times he played thru them. This is best exemplified in his incredible stat of 139 consecutive starts from 2011-2019. Stafford sits at 7th place on this list (very far behind the endurable Brett Favre who set the bar at 297). The past couple seasons he has however succumbed to further injury and had to miss more games as a result. 

Third and perhaps Stafford's most defining quality is his competitive leadership. There can be no question that Stafford is a competitor who wants to win games. And over the years he had become more and more of a leader. He is very humble off the field and never engaged in social media or much advertisement. He was a team player who never put himself above any other player on the team. For these qualities I would not be very surprised to see Stafford excel in perhaps a more established team. It will of course be difficult to watch him succeed elsewhere, but I truly do hope he can continue to build his legacy. I someday hope to see him returned as a Lions legend with his name enshrined on the Lions Ring of Honor. 

Most Memorable Stafford Moments

5. Game against Mahomes and the Chiefs (2019): Perhaps one of Stafford's most incredible games of which the Lions still loss to the eventual Super Bowl champs. Stafford was sharp as ever in this game, and made many incredible throws into very tight windows. The most impressive was the TD dart he threw to Kenny Golladay thru 4 KC defenders. 

4. Comeback against the Falcons in London (2014): That year Stafford had many iconic comebacks that led the Lions to another wildcard birth. My neighbor and I use to joke they were the Cardiac Cats, and kept us invested each game to the final second was off the clock. The game against Atlanta in London was probably the biggest comeback by which the Lions were down 21-0 at halftime. In the 2nd half Stafford chipped away at this deficit to bring us the victory. 

3.  Game Winning Drive against Vikings (2016): This was a very entertaining game, where with some 30 seconds on the clock and no time-outs, Stafford was able to get the team into field goal range to take the game into overtime. On the next drive in OT, he threw a pass to Golden Tate who broke loose and did a memorable butt-flip into the end zone to win the game. 

2. Dislocated Shoulder against Browns (2009): Early in his career, he suffered a terrible shoulder dislocation against the Browns. However with the game hanging in the balance, he came out on the final play to throw the game winning touchdown. Although this game took him out for the remaining of the season it demonstrated Stafford's undeniable resilience. 

1. Fake Spike Against the Cowboys (2013): Stafford led the Lions some 80 yards in 1 minute to completely steal the game from the Cowboys with a final fake spike TD. This was a very entertaining game between superstar receivers Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant. The victory at Ford Field became one of Stafford's first of many incredible game winning drives and is all the more special if you listen to his mic-ed up audio during the drive.   

Politics: 2021 Presidential Transition

I must confess I'm not as in tune to current politics as I was in my college days and early 20s. The rise of Obama was especially an exciting time for me, and from about 2006 to 2014 I kept up-to-date with the ongoing affairs of politics. I wrote many blogs about political and international news topics for some time. I enjoyed the sport of politics, campaigns, debates, elections, international affairs, congressional affairs, and just the day-to-day news that came with it. 

But I suppose when I began a new job with Dow Agro in 2013, I shifted my news attention from politics to sports. I just found the topic of sports (especially the NFL and European soccer) to be more enjoyable and less controversial. To this day I consider myself more of a centrist then the leftist I use to be. I am more ignorant on the affairs of current topics that I cannot change, and instead put more emphasis on my job and the simple things in life. However on this historic day of Joseph Biden's inauguration I feel it is necessary to reflect on the past 4 years of our nation and the optimistic future. 

Donald Trump's Presidency

I remember thinking it a big joke when I first heard the news of Donald Trump's presidential bid. The guy was no doubt a successful business mogul and media personality, but he had absolutely no political experience. And yet he somehow was able to defeat all the other Republican nominees in the 2016 primaries. When watching a debate or two, I realized he was able to take control of the stage not thru political experience, but thru a passionate and direct approach. For once here was a guy who spoke plainly and was using his killer business instinct to take control of the party. And it was thru this fierce mentality that Trump was able to defeat the other Republican contenders and become the Republican candidate. 

Trump no doubt had a passionate and entertaining side about him, but he also had a divisive and unruly side. He downright bullied the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, thru his tweets, debates, and public speeches. And even though I felt Hillary was probably not the best candidate for the Democrats I felt she should easily defeat Trump. That was however shockingly not the case, and by some peculiar outcome Trump won the presidential election. I was quite shocked and very disappointed that our nation would select such an obvious racist and hateful person for their leader. Of course there can be questions pertaining to the legitimacy of the results (especially with Russia) however that is another topic entirely. The fact of the matter was that Trump would now be our president for the next four years. 

I felt all sorts of emotions the few days after Trump's victory. I felt anger, depression, and even fear that our nation could be on the brink of total war and collapse. If ever there was a leader to mimic the divisive hate of Adolf Hitler it was Donald Trump. From the get-go he intended to disrupt foreign relations, most notably with China and Mexico. His most atrocious of plans was to build a wall separating Mexico from the USA in an effort to control illegal immigration. This gave off a very strong message to the rest of the world, of his racist agenda. This agenda became all the more clear when he supported ultra-right-wing factions of white supremacy in various protests. 

There can be no question that if Trump had more power as president than the world may have indeed turned to chaos. However what was most encouraging during his divisive four years was the push back he got from Congress, the media, and especially major businesses. If ever there was a time to keep the president in check it was during Trump's presidency and the institution of America certainly did it's part. He was challenged on every front and thus was unable to truly enforce some of his more radical conservative projects. 

However despite his tyrannical approach, Trump somehow managed to survive many trials and tribulations and did keep the country afloat. The economy was doing well and after nearly four years it had not collapsed into chaos as we all feared when he was elected (much thanks to the checks-and-balance of Congress I'm sure). However that was all until the Covid Pandemic struct in March of 2019. From this point on, marked Trump's greatest downfall, especially his stubborn attitude towards the virus. From the get-go he gave it no relevance, blamed it on China, and stubbornly showed American's not to wear masks. As the rest of the world got control of the disease, deaths continued to rise in America, and thus his failure of management became most apparent. 

President Joe Biden

The election of 2020 could not have come at a better time, and there could be no question that former VP Joe Biden was the one guy who could lead the Democratic Party back to the White House. Unlike Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden actually had some fight to him and could stand up to Trump's bully tactics. And despite his somewhat sleepy demeanor, Joe had an unquestionable likable charm to him. Here was a guy who actually enjoyed people and seemed to have some moral goodness in him, far from Trump's hateful approach. Here was a guy who was ready to unite the nation, not just the people who voted for him but also the people who did not.

After an 7 hour early voting experience on Saturday, I felt quite optimistic about Joe Biden's chances to win it. However just like with Hillary this was not the case and it became an election unlike any I had experienced before. As the results came in that Tuesday night, it seemed as if Trump was somehow going to win reelection. I did not even watch the results that night and just followed everything on Twitter, and the messages from my dad and uncles in the Left Wing Sundberg club. By the time I decided to go to bed I had accepted that Trump was somehow going to win. I was so devastated once again that our nation would chose such a hateful person to lead them. 

However that night a strange force hit me, and awoke and felt a sudden glimmer of hope. This was thanks to a message from my dad stating the "angel has opened her eyes, and that Biden could win Arizona". This marked a sudden turning point in the electoral process and it appeared there were still the mail-in ballots to count. The next day at work I eagerly followed the results and picked up on the sudden optimistic tones from my dad and Uncle Larry. However it was still several days until the decision could be called. It went all the way until Saturday until it became official that Joe Biden had won the election. I felt such a jubilating feeling to know that Biden had reversed the results from Tuesday night to win the election in very dramatic come-from-behind fashion. The Trump regime had finally come to an end. 

The election results were of course contested by the right wing extremists who began to declare fraud instantly. I however gave this no credence, and saw it merely as a bunch of sore loser conspiracy theorists. It's quite normal to be upset and find excuses with defeat, and this was the case for Al Gore and John Kerry. However never did the democrats go as far as an outright insurrection of the government. The storming of the US Capitol on Jan 6th marked the first time in history that the US Capitol had been breached. Encouraged by Trump, the mob stormed the capitol with intentions to overthrow the election certification. The violent uprising resulted in the death of 5 people. This radical event demonstrated the foolish extremism of Trump's followers and ultimately divided the Republican party. Trump was banned from social media and impeached for a 2nd time, yet another historical first for a president.

So after much contention the transition was finally put in place and Biden successfully took the oath of president on this historic day. I watched his speech to be very optimistic, with a little bit of sleepiness. He is left with a very daunting project to salvage the Covid Pandemic and unite a very divided nation. There is certainly extremism and racial pockets that still need to be addressed and hopefully in time things can get back to some normalcy. I am quite confident in Biden's presidential approach and through this past 4 years I have been most encouraged by the institution of democracy. In the end democracy always seems to prevail. 

Study of Norse Mythology

The past few weeks I have emerged myself into the most recent and highly anticipated Assassin's Creed game Valhalla. The game pertains to the Viking Age and Norse Mythology and has already inspired me greatly on this topic. I've written on the history of the Vikings before (see Viking Age) and may later do a deeper dive on more specific historical elements. Such as their legendary leader Ragnar Lothbrook who raided England in the 9th century, portrayed in the popular TV Series, Vikings. I am currently watching this show as well as other Viking documentaries in association with my gaming experience. However in this post I want to get a better understanding of the Viking's pagan religious beliefs and folk legends known as Norse Mythology. 

I remember my first association to Norse Mythology was from the PC game Age of Mythology, which was a spin-off from the popular Age of Empires series. On the cover of the game were the three major mythological gods Zeus, Thor, and Ra. At that point my interest in the game was far more focused on the Greek mythological setting and still I would consider it my favorite of all the cultural mythologies. However from that point on I began to consider Norse Mythology as one of the most significant of mythologies on par with Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythologies. It follows a similar polytheistic structure of gods and heroes with incredible legendary tales of drama, fantasy, and romance.  

While the game captured my interest, it was not until the Lord of the Rings movies that I began to truly appreciate Norse Mythology. The famous novels of JR Tolkein are no doubt in their own fantasy realm, however it's quite clear to see in reading the books that Tolkein was heavily influenced by Norse Mythology. Just consider the elves, dwarves, and the people of Rohan who dream to be reunited in the afterlife with the great kings and warriors of old (a reference to the concept of Valhalla which I'll later get into). The Lord of the Rings series is one of my all time favorite books/movies (right next to Star Wars), and a good reason why I am so captivated by the elements of Norse Mythology. 

The Source Material

A few years ago I immersed myself into a German culture appreciation phase and made some new cultural discoveries. Mostly inspired by the music and operas of Richard Wagner I came to understand the German cultural heritage. Much of Wagner's musical operas depicts German folktales and Norse mythological figures such as the Valkyries. In further study I saw many similarities with the Norse customs and came to understand that the Norsemen were essentially descendants of the German barbarians, post Roman-empire. Furthermore these barbaric Norsemen and Vikings partook in pagan customs just as the Germans did. Therefore while Norse mythology has much distinctions from German mythology, it could probably be fair to consider the German heritage as the source material.

Nonetheless Norse Mythology is probably better known then German mythology and I would consider it the most popular of all mythologies right behind Greek and Roman. The popular interest in this topic was further explored in the Marvel superhero films of Thor. The hammer-wielding god journey's from his home of Asgaard to earth help humanity and team up with the Avengers. The film series is loaded with Norse mythological figures such Odin, the king of Asgard; Loki, the mischievous villain; Heimdallr, the gatekeeper of Asgard; the norse goddess of death Hel, and Brundhilda the Valkyrie wariror. Although the film series is a comic book creation of Stan Lee, it is entirely based off the stories and characters of Norse Mythology. 

So with all these associations in mind, I still know very minimal about the structure of Norse Mythology. Which is why in this post I'd like to further understand the general structure such as the main stories, settings, gods, heroes, and other key components. Most of the source material of Norse Mythology is derived from the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda (which I intend to read soon). These collection of poems were written in the 13th century by the Icelandic scholar, Snorri Sturlson, who could be compared to Homer or Hesiod as the source. Snorri wrote many other legends of Norse Mythology such as the Heimskringla, which would later make up the basis of Norse Mythology. 

The Legends of Norse Mythology

Just like in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology, Norse Mythology has various source material that often overlaps and even counters stories within it's structure. For example Roman Mythology is almost entirely derived from Greek Mythology (only with different names) and Egyptian Mythology has multiple creation stories and major deities that are completely unrelated (such as the king of Gods Amon or Ra who were later merged into one). This is the same case with Norse Mythology, particularly their pantheon of Gods known as the Aesir and the Vanir. These two main sources of the gods embodied their own separate universe of mythical status, however they were later merged together in the Aesir-Vanir War. 

One of the best known tales of Norse Mythology derived from the Poetic Edda, is the creation story, also known as the Voluspa. The seeress known as a volva, recounts the tale to Odin, the great king of Asgard. In the beginning the world was a vast sea of emptiness, until the earth was uplifted by the ancestors of Ymir and the sons of Burr. They established the Aesir pantheon and brought order with the sun, moon, stars, night and day. This golden age of the Aesir was later contested by giants known as the Jotunheimr, and ushered in an age of the dwarves also known as the Dvergatal. 

The 2nd part of the creation myth, tells of the dawn of mankind with the first humans, Ask and Embala (an obvious association to Adam and Eve) and also the tree of life known as the Yggdrasil. She tells of the conflict over Gullveig, that lead to the first major war between the Aesir and Vanir pantheons. The volva also tells Odin how he lost his eye in search of knowledge beneath the tree of Yggdrasil. She also tells the tale of the slaying of Baldr, the son of Odin and Frigg, by the wicked Loki. Finally she prophecies about the final battle of the gods, known as Ragnarok where the heroic gods such as Thor and Freyr do battle with the serpant giants of Jormungandr. This final battle causes much loss and devastation to the gods yet the earth is reborn and the gods reunited in the fields of Ioavollr. 

Aside from the creation myth and the end times of Ragnarok there are many other tales pertaining to the gods and heroes of Norse Mythology. Here is a list of some of the most famous tales.

• 
  The Creation of the Cosmos: The giant Ymir brings an end to the chaotic void and order is established by Odin and his brothers

• The First Humans: Odin noticed two pieces of woods shaped in human form, and brought them life. They became the first male and female humans known as Ask and Embla. 
  

• The Aesir-Vanir War: The queen Vanir goddess Freyja was an expert in the magical art of seidr and captivated the Aesir gods of Asgard. However the Aesir gods later realized they had been subdued by dark desires, and attempted to burn Freyja three times. This act resulted in the great Aesir-Vanir war, pinning the two great pantheons against one another. Finally a truce was established and the gods agreed to coexist peacefully with one another. 

• The Mead of Poetry: Following the Aesir-Vanir war, a brew was established by the dwarves that granted spiritual inspiration and wisdom. Odin then went on a series of adventures, and transformed himself into an eagle to acquire this mead. 
  

• 
  The Creation of Thor's Hammer: The mischievous Loki cuts the hair of Thor's wife Sif, and incurs the thunder god's wrath. In an effort to save his life, Loki journeys to the dwarf caves, and commissions gifts of magical craftsmanship. This includes a new lock of hair for Sif, a ring and spear for Odin, a powerful boar and ship for Freyr, and the iconic hammer known as Mjollnir for Thor.

• The Fortification of Asgard: The walls of Asgard were built by a giant who demanded strict terms to marry the goddess Freya as well as take ownership of the sun and moon. The gods were against the terms, however Loki convinced them the giant could not complete the task in time. When Loki realized the giant was going to complete the construction in time, thanks to his powerful steed, he devised a plan to sabotage the horse. When the giant's horse fled, the giant could not complete his project in time and suffered a fatal blow from Thor's hammer. 

• Odin sacrifices his eye: In his never ending quest for knowledge and wisdom Odin travels to the roots of the Yggdrasil tree of life. There he meets Mimir, who offers him a drink from the well of knowledge in exchange for his eye which Odin agrees to. 

• Odin Discovers the Runes: Yet again another example of Odin's willingness to make sacrifices in order to acquire wisdom. This time he seeks the codex runes that dwell in the Well of Urd which is a pool of the three powerful Norns. Odin stabs himself with a spear and hangs himself amid the roots for 9 nine days to decipher the meaning of the runes. 
  

• 
  The Kidnapping of Idun: On a journey in the mountains, a giant disguised as an eagle threatens Loki to bring him the goddess Idun. The goddess Idun was known for her fruit-bearing that gave the gods their youthful appearance. Loki agrees to the giant's demand and secretly hands Idun over to the giant. However the gods later discover Loki's treachery and insist he recover the fruit goddess. Loki then journeys to the realm of giants disguised as a squirrel and turns Idun into a nut to return to Asgard. The giant pursues Loki and Idun, however is ultimately engulfed in flames from the gods of Asgard. 

• The Binding of Fenrir: The mischievous god Loki had three children with the giantess Angrboda; the serpent Jormungang, the death goddess Hel, and the monstrous wolf Fenrir. All three were prophesized to cause great destruction, so the serpent was cast into the oceans, Hel was cast into the underworld, however Fenrir required more effort to subdue. The gods requested the dwarves craft them an unbreakable chain. However in order for the wolf to agree to the chains, he demanded one of the gods keep his hand at the wolf's jaw. As soon as the wolf was chained to a rock, he bit off the hand of the god Tyr. Fenrir struggled endlessly in the chains, creating a river of drool from his mouth. He would later have his revenge in the battle of Ragnorak killing the god Odin as was prophesized. 

• The Tale of Utgarda-Loki: Thor and Loki traveled thru the land of giants where they encountered a giant farmer who offered them shelter. In exchange for the hospitality Thor offered them the meat from his goats which would regenerate. However Loki deceived the farmer's son. Thjalfi to eat the bone which caused the goat to be limp. As a form of apolgy the farmer offered his son Thjalfi to Thor's service. The three companions were later welcomed by another giant, Utgarda-Loki who challenged the three to contests, mocking them of their size with tricks. Thjalfi was defeated in a running race against thought, Loki was defeated in a eating contest against fire, and Thor was defeated in a drinking contest of the ocean and a wrestling match against time. 

• 
  Thor Fishing for Jormungand: The gods prepared for a great feast by the sea, hosted by the giant Aegir. His only terms however were that they provide a cauldron large enough to brew mead for all the gods. There was only one kettle large enough, owned by the giant Hymir. Thor accepted the mission and visited Hymir, who prepared him three bulls for dinner. The next day they went out fishing, and Thor used one of the bull heads, as bait to capture the Jormungand serpent. He had nearly achieved victory over the deadly serpent, until Hymir cut the string out of fear. With the boat taking on water, Thor then carried it out of the lake. He bid farewell to Hymir and returned to the feast with the giant cauldron that was required. 
  

• Thor the Transvestite: One morning Thor awoke to discover his hammer, Mjollnir was missing. Thru the use of Freya's falcon feathers they discovered it was robbed by the giants of Jotunheim. Loki visited the king of giants, Thrym, who told Loki he would only return the hammer if Freya was made to be his bride. Loki returned to Asgard to help discuss a plan, all of which agreed Freya was not to be handed over. Heimdall, the gatekeeper proposed the plan that Thor dress himself as Freya, of which Thor reluctantly accepted. Loki traveled with Thor, disguised as a hand-maiden and the two were welcomed into the hall of giants. However at the feast many of the giants became suspicious of Thor's womanly disguise, especially when he ate an entire ox. Later at the marriage ceremony between Thrym and the disguised female Thor, the hammer was presented. At this point Thor unveiled his disguise, recovered his hammer, and slayed all the giants including Thrym.  

• 
  The Death of Baldur: Baldur was the son of Odin and Frigg, and the most beautiful and good-hearted of all the gods. However he often had terrible dreams concerning his death and the downfall of the gods. Baldur's mother Frigg managed to collect oaths from the cosmos not to harm her son. At this point the gods of Asgard felt Baldur's destiny was secured and playfully tested his immortality. However Loki was able to discover the one weakness he had, which was mistletoe and he constructed a spear of it. Loki then manipulated the blind god Hodr to cast the mistletoe spear at Baldur which caused instant death to the beautiful god. The gods mourned the death of Baldur, and Hemrod undertook the mission to the realm of Hel to plea for Baldur's life. Hel told Hemrod she would release Baldur, if everyone in the universe wept for him. This was the case for all beings, save one, a giantess named Tokk, who was no surprise the disguise of the wicked Loki. 
  

• Loki Bound: The death of Baldur began the prophecy of Ragnarok and chaos throughout the nine worlds. The gods of Asgard demanded justice for Baldur's death, and the obvious perpetrator was Loki. Loki disguised himself as a salmon in a pool on the mountain, however was still captured by the gods. The gods fastened Loki to three rocks in a cave, and placed a poisonous snake over his head. However Loki's faithful wife, Sigyn stood by his side with a bowl, collecting the venom from the snake. Whenever the bowl became full, Sigyn would have to step away from her husband to dispose of the liquid poison. During this brief phase, the venom that would strike Loki's face would cause him to tremble so strongly that earthquakes would shake Midgard.   

• 
  Ragnarok: The end of all things begins with a great winter that will cause great famine to the world, resulting in utter survival. From this bitter state the wolves Skoll and Hun will devour the sun and the moon and the stars will thus fade away. From this the great tree Yggdrasil will also tremble and the cosmos will return to chaos. Loki will have broken free from his chains and amassed a great army of giants on the ship Naglfar. His deadly sons, the wolf Fenrir and the serpant Jormungand will always have broken free causing great devastation to the universe. The fire giants from Muspelheim will arrive at Asgard and destroy the bifrost. Heimdall will give one final blow of the Gjallhorn to warn the gods that the prophecy of Ragnarok has arrived. Knowing their fates are doomed the gods take up arms against the giants in the battlefield of Vigrid. Odin leads a great army of warriors from Valhalla against the wolf Fenrir, however the wolf kills Odin and all his men. Odin's son Vidar avenges his father and kills the deadly wolf. The wolf Garm and the war-god Tyr do battle to their ends; Heimdall will face Loki, both meeting their ends; Freyr will do battle with the fire giant Surt, whose blade is brighter then the sun, and both meet their demise. And of course Thor will face his arch-enemy the serpent Jormungand. Thor defeats the serpent, however it's venoms takes a toll, and after nine steps Thor also falls to his death. As the gods and the giants all fall, the world also collapses into a void once again. Some versions of the story end here, while others suggest a rebirth of life. 
  

The Nine Worlds

Another distinctive trait of Norse Mythology is it's very unique cosmological setting. At the center of the universe is the almighty tree of life, known as Yggdrasil. The branches of the tree extend into the heavens, while it's roots extend into various other worlds. It is considered a sacred sight among the gods with an abundance of wisdom. Odin sacrifices his eye to the tree in search for some of it's wisdom. Many magical creatures reside within Yggdrasil including dragons, stags, hawks, eagles, and the messenger squirrel known as Ratatoskr. The female mystics known as Norns, also dwell within the roots of the tree. 

Around the Yggdrasil tree are the Nine Worlds of the universe which aren't clearly defined. The main worlds are the realm of Asgard, which is the home of the gods and the realm of Midgard, which is the planet for humanity. Other worlds referenced in various tales include the realm of the Vanir gods known as Vanaheimr, as well as realms for the jotnars (giants), elves, and dwarves. The portal between these realms is often depicted as the bifrost rainbow bridge, guarded by the god Heimdallr mostly from the wicked jotnar giants. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting components of N
orse mythology is the various realms of the afterlife. The most glorious of afterlife is that of Valhalla, which is a massive hall in Asgard oversaw by Odin, where only the greatest warriors are welcomed. The heroic dead are escorted to this hall by the magnificent female warriors on flying horses known as the Valkyries. The majority of the dead who are not chosen by Odin are taken to the fields of Folkvangr, ruled by the goddess Freyja. A third realm of the afterlife exists in the underworld, known as Helheim, oversaw by the goddess Hel, daughter of Loki. Rebirth and reincarnation are also frequently mentioned in the tales, most notably in the cataclysmic event of Ragnarok.  

The Gods and Goddesses of Norse Mythology

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  Odin: Known as the all-father, and the king of Asgard, he is wisest of the gods. There are two instances by which Odin sacrificed himself for greater knowledge. The first is that he exchanged his eye in order to drink from the well of Yggrdasil. The second is that he stabbed himself with a spear and hung himself for 9 days to decipher the ancient runes. He welcomes great warriors into his hall of Valhalla and his death comes at Ragnarok to the terrible wolf Fenrir.
  

• Thor: He is the strongest of the gods, known as the God of Thunder, and wielder of the mighty hammer Mjolnir. There are numerous tales by which he defeats the giants thru his brute strength. He is married to the beautiful Sif, whose hair was kidnapped by Loki, but later recovered by the the crafty dwarves. His arch nemesis is the serpent, Jormungandr, by which he nearly captured while fishing. Thor defeats the serpant at Ragnarok however he later succombs to it's venom after 9 steps. 

• 
  Freyja: She is the most beautiful of the gods and queen of the Vanir, and sister of Frey. She wears the magical necklace Brisingamen, with a cloak of falcon feathers, a chariot pulled by cats, and accompanied by the boar Hildisvini. Perhaps her greatest claim to fame is as Odin's counterpart in collecting the dead, brought to the fields of Folkvangr. While perhaps this realm is not as glorious as that of Valhalla it certainly is better than the underworld of Hel. 
  

• Freyr: He is Freyja's brother, also from the Vanir, associated with the good harvest, weather, peace and prosperity. He possesses two great gifts from the craftsmanship of the dwarves, the boat Skidbladnir, which can fold into his pocket and the mighty boar Gullinbursti. He falls in love with the giant Geror, and later does battle with the fire giant Surtr during Ragnarok.  

• Tyr: Considered the god of war, he is the 2nd mightiest of the gods next to Thor. He courageously sacrificed his arm to the wolf Fenrir, in order to bind the deadly wolf to a rock. He accompanies Thor on many battles and during Ragnarok he fights the wolf Garm. 

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  Heimdallr: He is the mighty son of nine mothers, and is best renown as the gatekeeper of the portal known as the Bifrost. He possesses the powerful horn known as Gjallarhorn and the golden horse known as Gulltoppr. He has various conflicts with Loki and during Ragnarok the two sworn enemies kill one another. 
  

• Frigg: She is the wife of Odin, also often associated with wisdom and foresight. She is the mother to Baldr, and mourns his death more than any. 

• Baldr: He is the son of Odin, considered the most beautiful and fair of the gods. His greatest claim to fame comes as the precursor to Ragnarok, where he is killed by Loki, and sent to Hel. All the gods mourn him except for Loki, which incur the wrath of Ragnarok. As punishment for the unjust murder of Baldr, Loki is chained to a stone, yet later escapes during the events of Ragnarok.  
  

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  Hod: He is a blind god, son of Thor and Frigg and best renown for the tragedy of Baldr. He is cruelly manipulated by the wicked Loki, to shoot an arrow made of mistletoe at Baldr. The intent was a playful one, as all the other gods were merely testing Baldr's immortality. Loki knew however that the mistletoe was Baldr's one weakness, and thus Hod's arrow kills him instantly. Despite his innocence at being manipulated by Loki, Hod is still killed for the murder of Baldr. 

• Iounn: She is the beautiful goddess of fertility, best known for her apples of youth. In one tale, a giant Thiazi threatens Loki to bring him Iounn as his bride which Loki does. However after the gods begin to age, they realize Iounn has gone missing and demand Loki bring her back. He then transforms into a squirrel and transforms Iounn into a nut, and is able to rescue her from the terrible giant.