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

• 
  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. 

• 
  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.  
  

• 
  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.