Norse mythology includes the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the inhabitants of Scandinavia, including those who settled on the island of Iceland – where much of the written material of Norse mythology is found. . The famous version of Norse mythology is that of the Germanic peoples, which arose from the myths of the pre-existing Indo-European peoples.

The religions of the Nordic peoples are not based on a “truth” transmitted directly from gods to humans (although there are stories of mortals visited by gods) and do not have formal texts such as the Bible. Holy of Christianity or the Quran of Islam. Norse mythology is transmitted orally in the form of long poems. The transmission of Norse religion was strongest during the Viking period. One learns about Norse mythology mainly through the Edda epics and extensive Christian records of Scandinavia. Norse mythology has a great influence on literary and artistic works.

Kings and Heroes

Besides stories of gods, Norse mythology also tells of earthly kings and heroes. These stories reflect the formation of Nordic tribes and nations. Some scholars argue that these stories are based on real events and may serve as a source of Scandinavian historical research.

List of names of some gods and characters

Gods Aesir

Baldr – god of light, art and beauty

Bragi – god of poetry and rhetoric, poet and singer of Asgard (skald)

Forseti – god of justice

Freyja (hostage from the Vanir tribe) – goddess of love and beauty

Freyr (hostage from the Vanir) – god of abundance

Frigg – supreme goddess, wife of Odin

Heimdall – god of the Bifrost bridge and protector of Asgard

Höðr – blind god of winter and darkness

Hœnir – god of hesitation

Iðunn – goddess of youth

Loki – god of fire, trickster

Meili – god of traffic

Nanna – wife of Baldr

Njörðr (hostage from the Vanir tribe) – god of wind and seafaring

Odin – leader of the gods, god of wisdom and war

Sif- wife of Thor

órr (Thor) – god of thunder and battle

Tyr – the one-armed god, the brave warrior

Ullr – god of the hunt

Vali – the avenger

Ticket – Odin’s brother, the god who gave mankind voice

Viðarr – god of silence and revenge

Vili – Odin’s brother, the god who gives people thoughts and feelings

List of Vanir Gods

Freyja: goddess of beauty, love, war and death, later to Asgard

Freyr: god of light, rain and abundance, later to Asgard

Gerðr

Gullveig, the mistreatment of this goddess by the Æsirs (Aesir) caused war between the two clans

Hœnir: hostage from the Æsir . clan

Mímir: hostage from the sir . clan

Kvasir: god of wisdom

Lytir

Njord (Njǫrðr): god of the wind and leader of the Vanirs, later went to Asgard as a hostage of the Aesirs

Skaði: goddess of the hunt, often shown with snowshoes, wife of Njord

HEAVEN AND EARTH CREATED HUMAN

Once upon a time, there was neither heaven above nor earth below. It was all just an endless pit, a misty world in which there was a source of flowing water. There are twelve rivers that flow from there, flowing far away, freezing, and then one layer of ice piled up on another until that deep hole is gradually filled.

To the south of this misty world is the world of light. A warm wind blew from there, melting the ice. Steam rises up into the air. From this cloud appeared an Ice Giant named Ymir and his descendants, and also the bull Audhumbla that provided milk for the giant’s food. This cow ate dew and salt on the ice to get milk. One day he was licking a rock with salt when he saw a man’s hair. On the second day, the whole head appeared. On the third day, the whole body appeared, a beautiful, agile, strong person. This new creature is a god. This god married a giant, and then gave birth to three children named Odin, Vili and Ve. Three brothers join forces to kill the giant Ymir. Ymir’s corpse became the earth, the blood into the sea, the bones into the mountains, the hair into the trees, the skull into the sky, and the brain the clouds that brought hail and snow.

The new Odin divides the hours, demarcates day and night, and seasons by setting the sun and moon and assigning orbits to both.

As soon as the sun shone on the earth, the whole world of herbs sprouted. After the gods had created the world, they walked on the beach and realized that there was one thing missing: there was no human being. So the gods chiseled the bare tree into a man, cut the python into a woman, and named them Aske and Embla. New Odin gave them life and souls; Vili gives them reason and emotions. God Ve gave them five senses, appearance and voice. They live on the ground. Those are the ancestors of mankind.

The great naked tree Ygdrasill is used to support the entire universe. This tree grew from Ymir’s body and produced three great roots; one root reaches Asgard (world of the gods), the second reaches Jotunheim (world of giants); the third root feeds to Niffleheim (the dark and cold region). There is a stream flowing beside each tree root. The roots that reach Asgard are carefully tended by the three Norns. These are the three goddesses of fate, the first is called Urdur (past), the second is Verdandi (present) and the third is Skuld (future). The spring in Jotunheim is the source of Ymir’s water. There lies hidden wisdom and wisdom. But the stream along the roots of the tree leading to Niffleheim nurtured the viper Nidhogge (meaning darkness). This snake day and night nibbles on tree roots. There were four stags climbing the tree to eat the buds. These four deer represent the four winds. Ymir’s body lay on the ground right under the tree. When Ymir stirred to knock the tree away, the ground shook.

Asgard is the name of the abode of the gods, to get to this place you have to cross the Bifrost (rainbow) bridge. Asgard consists of castles of gold and silver, but the most beautiful one is Valhalla, the residence of the chief god Odin. Sitting on the throne, Odin could see heaven and earth. There are two ravens Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) always perched on my shoulder. Every day these two crows fly around and come back and tell me everything they see and hear. Lying at the feet of the god Odin are two wolves Geri and Freki. These two dogs were given all the meat by the god, because the god didn’t need food to live, but only needed to drink honey wine. God invented runic writing, and it was the job of the three Norns to engrave the words of fate on a plate of metal. Odin’s name is pronounced Woden and the word Wednesday, the fourth day, comes from this Woden name.

History of Norse Mythology Part 1

History of Norse Mythology Part 2

Viking Sons Of Odin