NORSE

MYTHOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
• Norse or Scandinavian mythology is the body of
myths of the North Germanic peoples, stemming
from Norse paganism and continuing after the
Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the
Scandinavian folklore of the modern period.
• Scandinavia, name applied collectively to three
countries of northern Europe Norway, Sweden, and
Denmark. The three countries grouped because of
their historical, cultural, and linguistic similarities
Norse dates back to the 1590s. It comes from the
term “a Norwegian,” via obsolete Dutch Noorsch.
“Norwegian” is a reduced form of Noordsch,
meaning “Northern, Nordic” from Noord,
meaning “North.”

The people of this region speak a group of related

languages called the North Germanic languages.
All North Germanic languages evolved from a
language called Old Norse; therefore, the
culture of this region during the Early Middle
Ages is often called "Norse" culture.

This is the same culture that the Vikings came

from. In fact, Norse is often used synonymously
with Viking.
Scandinavia, historically
Scandia, part of northern
Europe, generally held to
consist of the two countries of
the Scandinavian Peninsula,
Norway and Sweden, with
the addition of Denmark.
Why Is It Called Scandinavia?
Scandinavia likely stems from the two
Germanic words Skadin and Awjo,
meaning “Dangerous Island”. It is thought
to be referring to the treacherous waters and
sandbanks around Scania in southern
Scandinavia.
Civilization
People started settling in Scandinavia and calling it home
soon after the region emerged out of the icy grip of the
last ice age around 12,000 years ago.
Celts and Norsemen
The myths of Northern Europe are those of two great warrior,
peoples, the Celts and the Norsemen. The Celts were the first
rulers of Europe. They dominated a vast region that extended
from Ireland to central Turkey, before being subjugated by the
Romans. Between the 4th and 6th centuries A.D., the Roman
Empire was invaded by Germanic tribes from the north and
east. Around 850 A.D., their Scandinavian kinsmen-the
Norsemen or Vikings-began to terrorize the coasts and
waterways of Europe.
The Sami people The hunter-gatherers
inhabited northern parts of Europe
(Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia)
for around 5,000 years. The Sámi are
best known for reindeer herding.
Reindeer meat is used for cooking,
leather and fur is used to make shoes and
clothing, and antlers and bones make
useful tools and decorative objects. The
Sami are also skilled fishers and sheep
herders.
From around A.D. 800 to the 11th
century, a vast number of
Scandinavians left their
homelands to seek their fortunes
elsewhere. These seafaring
warriors known collectively as
Vikings or Norsemen
(“Northmen”) began by raiding
coastal sites, especially
undefended monasteries, in the
British Isles.
The Vikings travelled thousands of miles across the sea
from their homeland of Scandinavia where they were
farmers, fishermen, seafarers and traders. Some
historians believe the Vikings left their homes
because of over crowding. There was not enough
good land for everyone to share.
•The Vikings are Nordic peoples-Danes, Swedes, and
Norwegians who raided and settled in Europe between 800
and 1100
• They attacked Russia, the British Isles, the Atlantic and North
areas of France, Germany, and other Northern European
countries
• The Scandinavian world never came under Roman or Christian
influence before the raids, and its population was small and
dispersed.
• Because the people of this world mostly lived along the coasts,
fishing played a significant part in their lives, as did sea trade.
• They traveled as far as North America in the West and Russia and
Constantinople in the East
• Christian Europe's ability to resist their attacks grew; the Vikings
settled and converted to Christianity.
• They were great sailors and ferocious enemies, but also great
storytellers and hard workers.
Religion

Before the Norse (a.k.a. the Vikings) converted to

Christianity during the Middle Ages, they had their
own vibrant native Pagan religion that was as harshly
beautiful as the Nordic landscape to which it was
intimately connected.
Pagan is an umbrella term which covers a wide
range of belief systems and magical traditions
including Wicca and witchcraft. Both of these
belief systems engage in magical practices such
as folk magic (making charms and potions,
etc.) and ceremonial magic (casting circles etc)
and weave magic into their spiritual beliefs.
The Coming of Christianity

The Celts adopted Christianity under Roman

occupation. It took longer for Christianity to
reach Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, and
Iceland had converted by the early 11th century
Sweden followed soon afterward.
Characteristics of their Mythology

• is a complex belief system with numerous

deities and potential afterlives

• depicts a warrior and naval-based culture,

concerned with honor through battle and
soldiers
• Norse gods are not immortal, they are only
unusually long-lived and owe their youth and
vitality to the goddess Idunn and her magical
apples.

• do not have one set doctrine or beliefs system

as their faith was transmitted orally until the
Christian period.
• Often darker and depicts battle between
good and evil, with the eventual
destruction of the gods.

• Gods are depicted in idyllic ways.

• includes two groups of gods, the Aesir and the Vanir, as well
as giants, trolls, elves, dwarfs, and heroic human warriors.

Germanic / Scandinavian settlers faced:

• Long, cold winters and short growing seasons
• Poor harvests
• Lack of medical knowledge
• Violent Civilization
Some of the themes in Norse mythology include:

• bravery • Adventure
• heroism • the enchanted world
• death and the afterlife • the quest for knowledge
• honor • dreams
• Magic • inspiration
• Trickery
As we read about Norse mythology, many
themes are visible. One of the most
prominent themes that are displayed is
Animism. Animism is defined as “the
consciousness/spirit is perceived as an innate
quality of the entire world, and not belonging
to one specific species.”
• They worshiped a number of gods, including Odin, the
god of war and leader of the Norse gods; Thor, the god
of thunder; and Balder, the god of light
• Opposing the Norse gods were a host of evil giants, led
by Loki
• Norse mythology had no scripture. The mythology
was orally transmitted in the form of long, regular
poetry
• Storytellers were calls "skalds"
Like the Celts, the pagan Germanic peoples did
not record their ideas, beliefs and stories.
However, they too had an alphabet, which also
had mystical significance called a Runic alphabet.
It was believed to have been invented by Odin,
and was used for incantations and carving
inscriptions in wood or stone.
The accumulated wisdom of the pagan Celts and Norsemen
was memorized by storytellers who passed it down by
word of mouth from generation to generation. The deeds of
gods and heroes were told in episodic cycles related to the
calendar and to ceremonial events. The bard or poet would
declaim his verses or tell his stories to an audience
gathered around the fire at a seasonal feast.
What we today call Norse mythology was a form
of religion with its own polytheistic world of gods
and associated legends, sagas, tales, and songs.
These stories and songs were collected and written
down in a book the so-called “Edda” on which the
beliefs of the Germanic tribes were based.
It was in the far north that interest in
the old gods lasted longest. Around
1220, Snorri Sturluson, an Icelander,
compiled an anthology of stories about
the heathen gods called the Prose
Edda. Its authenti-miranda city is
partly confirmed by comparison with
events celebrated in the Poetic Edda, a
collection of related poems thought to
be much earlier in origin.
The Prose Edda is a handbook on poetics. In this
work Snorri arranges and recounts the legends of
Norse mythology in an entertaining way. He then
explains the ornate diction of the ancient skaldic
poets and explains the great variety of poetic meters
used in skaldic and Eddic verse.
He particularly valued poems transmitted
orally from the time of the original historical
events they described, and he selected those
poetic traditions that seemed to be both
authoritative and reflective of contemporary
politics and human nature.
OId Norse used letters that don't appear in the
modern alphabet for English, such as ꝥ which
indicates the first sound in think; ð, which
indicates the first sound in the; and æ, which
indicates the first sound in act. They also added
marks above or below vowels to indicate a variety
of sounds.
Norse names often end in r because a final r can be a
nominative case marker, showing that the word is the
subject of its sentence. Since English does not use
case markings on names, for the sake of consistency
nominative case marking final r's. Thus, "Odinn, the
Alfadir of the Aesir," is known here as "Odin, the
Allfather of the Aesir." " Thorr, who swings his
hammer, Mjolnir," is here "Thor, who swings his
hammer, Mjolnir.
Inventions and discoveries
Despite their barbaric reputation, the
history of the Vikings is a legacy of
achievements that forever changed the way
we speak, travel, exercise and even groom
ourselves.
• Longboat
The Viking longboat was
unparalleled in the medieval
world. The Vikings enjoyed
advantages in war, trade, and
exploration thanks to their
ships’ flexible, durable
designs and their ability to
sail in many different
directions according to the
wind.
Keel
During the eighth century, a
Viking invention revolutionized
shipbuilding and maritime
voyaging. The keel gave stability
to Viking ships so that they
became seaworthy. With the keel,
Vikings were no longer limited to
short forays along the shore. They
were able to carry food, timber,
and animals as cargo across
distances of 6,400 kilometers
(4,000 mi) in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Tent
The Viking tent was plain,
practical, and brilliant.
Tent frames were
discovered on a buried,
ninth-century Viking ship
in Gokstad in Sandar,
Sandefjord, Vestfold,
Norway.
• Sunstone
Viking sunstone was one of
the most helpful ways for
navigation According to
many Norse and Viking
sagas, we might hear of the
sólarsteinn or the Sunstone
which people in the sagas
used to determine the
position of the sun.
Sun Compass
• The Vikings’ sun compass was a
simple but ingenious navigational
device that allowed them to sail great
distances. The sun compass consisted
of a peg, the gnomon, inserted through
a hole in the center of a circular,
wooden, or soapstone plate known as
the sun shadow board. The board was
held horizontally so that the gnomon
stood vertically.
• In navigating, the Vikings had to
compensate for variations in the height
of the Sun at various times of the year.
Magnetic Compass
Using the mineral
magnetite (aka
lodestone), which is
abundant throughout
Scandinavia, the
Vikings invented one
of the first magnetic
compasses.
Western-Style Skis
Vikings took time to enjoy
skiing. Although the
Russians and Chinese may
have invented skis before
the Vikings did so, the
Norsemen introduced
Western-style skiing. The
word “ski” is derived from
the Old Norse skio.
 Shield
The Viking shield was like no
other medieval buckler. In
size, it was 75–90 centimeters
(30–35 in). Used as a defense
in combat, the shield also
protected the Vikings from
winds and waves during their
sea voyages.
Comb
Most Viking inventions and
innovations were related to the hit-
and-run military campaigns conducted
during their raids and involved
shipbuilding, camping, combat, and
other related practical enterprises.
Despite their penchant for waging
guerrilla warfare, it seems that the
Vikings were vain about their
appearance.
Battle Axe
This tool was modified over the
years and became a battle-axe
unique among medieval warriors.
The blade became larger and
broader. A hook was added to the
lower end of the blade. In battle, the
hook could be used to catch an
enemy by the foot or the rim of his
shield. The axe handle became
longer, allowing Vikings to strike
their foes from a greater distance.
The Gjermundbu style helmets are
based on the only Viking Age helmet
found in Scandinavia. Most Viking
helmets were very simple. They
commonly consisted of just a bowl and a
nose guard. Although most people think
Vikings wore horned helmets, most
historians agree that they didn’t. The
bowl of a Viking helmet was made from
several pieces of iron joined together
with rivets.
A technology invention that was inspired by Scandinavian Viking
Have you ever wondered about the origin of the word ‘Bluetooth’?

Jim Kardach from Intel,

which was one of the corporate members in the Bluetooth SIG, had read about the
Scandinavian Viking and was inspired to name his new invention “Bluetooth”. He
made the connection when learning that King Harald “Blåtand” had united
Denmark and Norway. “Bluetooth” was initially supposed to be a temporary name
until they had come up with something better, but it became so popular with the
public and the press, that Jim Kardach and his team at Ericsson decided to keep
the name.
Vikings held feasts for a FESTIVALS
variety of reasons,
seasonal feasts such as
Winter Nights and Jul,
harvest festivals such as
Mabon, religious rituals,
and for more personal
reasons such as a
wedding or a celebration
of a successful raiding
voyage.
 Mabon Festival
No Pagan celebration is really
complete without a meal to go
along with it. For Mabon,
celebrate with foods that honor
the hearth and harvest—breads
and grains, autumn veggies like
squash and onions, fruits, and
wine.
Shetland Viking Festival
The Shetland Viking festival is a
festival that features the
Scandinavian old Yule tradition
which is still celebrated and
practiced in Scotland. This
festival is popularly known as Up
Helly Aa. It is celebrated on the
last Tuesday in January every
year.
 Wedding
Traditional Viking weddings
were always held on a
Friday, which is Frigg’s Day
or Freya’s Day, and lasted up
to a week. Freya was the
Norse goddess of fertility, so
it was considered good luck
for the couple to marry on a
Friday.
 Yule(Jol/Jul)
December 20th-31st​
Celebration of the Norse New Year; a
festival of 12 nights. This is the most
important of all the Norse holidays. On
the night of December 20, the god Ingvi
Freyr rides over the earth on the back of
his shining boar, bringing Light and Love
back into the World. In later years, after
the influence of Christianity, the god
Baldur, then Jesus, was reborn at this
festival.
 Disting (Disablot)
February 2nd
Also known as Oimelc, Disting is the festival of the Idises. For
those who do not know, the Idises (or Disir) are the souls of
the women of your family line – the eldest mothers, who still
watch over their children through the generations. The name
Oimelc means “ewe’s milk” in Anglo-Saxon, as this was the
time when the first lambs were being born. Frigga is
sometimes hailed at this time for her spinning of wool.
 The festival of Walpurgis

A night both of revelry and darkness. This is the

night of the bonfire in Sweden, traditionally
believed to ward off evil spirits, but now a festive
way of getting rid of excess gardening odds and
ends.
 Lesser Feasts
(Days of Remembrance)
There are a number of lesser feasts or holy
days that Heathens of modern time keep, as
well as holding the traditional ones. Most of
these are “Days of Remembrance” for great
heroes and heroines of Germanic Heathenry.
 Winter Nights (Vetrnaetr)

October 29th - November 2nd

The beginning of the winter season for the
Northern folk. Remembrances of the dead
and one's ancestors were made during this
feast.
 Midsummer (Midsumarblot)
June 20th-21st​
Celebration of the Summer Solstice, when the
power of the Sun is at its height. It was at this time
that most foreign trade was conducted, as well as
shipping, fishing expeditions, and raiding. Thus,
Midsummer was the festival of power and activity.
CUSTOMS AND RITUALS

Traditional Viking religious practices included ritual sacrifice of

animals and humans, particularly during funerary rituals; the
worship of a wide pantheon of gods and goddesses, and the belief
in an afterlife and the end of the world.

Traditions— They honor the gods by drinking a toast to them and

eating a feast. The toast may, for example, be to the fertility gods
Njörd and Frey to wish for prosperity and a good harvest.
Afterwards the modern believers make a personal toast.
To the Celts, fire symbolized the Sun, and they marked the
annual cycle of its seasons with four great bonfire festivals.
The main ceremonies heralded winter and summer and were
called Samain and Beltaine, respectively. The other two,
Imbolc and Lugnasad, took place in February and August. The
Scandinavians had equivalent celebrations. The most
important of these, as with the Celts, was held at the
beginning of winter and went on for days. It was known as
The Winter Nights.
Blood sacrifice
Classical commentators have reported fertility rites
and human sacrifice associated with Celtic festivals,
particularly with Samain. Victims were drowned in
vats in honor of the god Teutates or burned in wooden
cages to propitiate Taranis. Priests called Druids, who
possessed considerable power and influence, presided
over these rituals.
The Norse, too, are reported to have
indulged in human sacrifice at the great
temple of Uppsala, in Sweden. The
Scandinavians had no priesthood order, and
it was usually the king or chieftain who
made contact with the gods on behalf of
the people at sacrificial feasts.
Freyr was the god of rain, summer and
fertility. The Vikings believed that he
would endow them with the productive
crops and nice weather as long as they
made appropriate sacrifice to him.
Funeral Ships
The wealthiest Vikings were buried in ships that were crammed
full of their belongings, including livestock and even servants,
which, it was believed, would be needed in the next world. The
ships were then buried under mounds of earth or set alight and
turned into blazing funeral pyres. For the same reason the Celts
also buried a deceased person's valued possessions, such as wine
a joints of pork, with them. A Celtic warrior might be
transported to his grave his chariot, and this would be buried
with him. perhaps to carry him onward to the otherworld.
Funeral ships/pyre
 FUNERAL MOUNDS
In Norse mythology, boats symbolized
safe passage into the afterlife on the
same vessel that aided their travels in
life, so they played a key role in funeral
rites. Some grave mounds were built to
resemble ships, with stones used to
outline the vessel’s shape. A Viking
burial site north of Alborg in Denmark.
This is the largest such site in
Scandinavia, will over 600 graves, each
encircled by stones in the shape of a
boat.
Odin lived in the silver-roofed hall of Valaskjalf. He sat
on a throne, called Hildskjalf, from which he could
survey the nine worlds of the Norse cosmos. He decided
the fate of warriors in battle, ensuring that his favorites
died and joined his personal band in Valhalla. Here,
every night. they feasted on pork and quaffed endless
supplies of mead milked from the goat, Heidrun. The
following day, they ventured forth to die again in battle.
 VALHALLA (HEAVEN)
In Norse, they believe in Valhalla known as
“the hall of the fallen”. Val means hero and
halla means hall.
• It is where the souls of heroes slain in
battle are received
• It is also a place of honor, glory, and
happiness
In Valhalla the heroes or Vikings will fight
one another all day long, doing countless
valorous deeds along the way. But every
evening, all their wounds are healed, and
they are restored to full health.
Celtic goddess of battle was
the Morrigan. Taking the
shape of a carrion crow or a
raven, she would pick over the
corpses of fallen warriors after
a fray. Before a battle, the
Morrigan washed the spirit
corpses of warriors whose fate
it was to die.
There is a similarity here with Norse
mythology and the Valkyries. They
were the handmaidens of Odin who
gathered the warriors fallen in battle
whom Odin had chosen to perish,
and took them to Valhalla, the Hall
of the Slain. In both traditions, the
gods were believed to determine the
outcome a battle in advance.
 EXPLANATIONS OF THEIR PHENOMENA
Based on the height of the sun in the sky, the Vikings divided their
years into seasons and more specifically, into months. The two
major long periods were the summer and the winter. The Vikings
also counted the age of their years by counting how many winters
they had been through.

Norse mythology varies with the seasons. For one instance Idunn
who resembles summer in this myth falls off a branch of Yggdrasil
into Niflheim. This causes winter.
 NIGHT AND DAY
Nótt is a very beautiful giantess with
having a hair as dark as the night. Her
husband is an Aesir named Dellingr
which means dawn. They had a child
namely Dagr which means day. Dagr
is bright and beautiful just like his
father’s family. Nótt and Dagr were
both given a chariot and a horse by
Odin, and put into the sky, to ride
around the earth every 24 hours.
Other versions
According to the Norse people, each day the
goddess Sól drove the chariot of the sun across
the sky. At night, her brother Máni took the
same trip with the moon.
Sol and Mani did not travel alone, however. Sól was chased by a
ravenous wolf named Hati while Máni fled from Hati’s sister,
Sköll. At Ragnarök, both Sól and Máni would lose their long-
lasting race across the sky. They would be caught by the
pursuing wolves and devoured.
LIGHTNING AND THUNDER
• Every time Thor wielded his Mjolnir
hammer, lightning would appear in
the sky.
• Thor had a pair of goats to pull his
chariot. Every time he crossed the
sky, he would cause the sound of
thunder to the world below. That's
how the Vikings explained for the
thunder sound from the sky above.
Whenever it came the sound of
thunder, Thor was crossing their sky.
Norse Mythology
In Norse mythology, the earth is represented as a flat
disc.
•In ancient Germanic and Old Norse mythology, the
universe was believed to consist of nine physical
worlds joined together
•The world of Men, the Middle-earth (or Midgard), lay
in the center of this universe. The lands of Elves,
Gods, and Giants lay across an encircling sea
•The land of the Dead called Nifheim lay beneath
the Middle-earth and was rude by Hel, daughter of
Loki
•A rainbow bridge, Bifrost Bridge, extended from
Middle-earth to Asgard across the sea. An outer
sea encircled the seven other worlds
•After Odin created Middle Earth, he built Asgard,
the home of the gods
• There were many halls in Asgard for all the gods. Odin's
hall had a roof of silver, and from it he could see all the
worlds
• A bridge stretched from Asgard to Yggdrasil, the World
Tree, and this bridge was called Bifrost, the rainbow
• Viking warriors believed that if they died heroically they
would be called to dwell with Odin in Valhalla
• They were chosen by the Valkyries, woman who wore
armor, and rode swiftly over land and sea on horseback
• The Valkyries also decideds who would win a battle
• At the end of time, the frost and fire giants will meet together to
fight the gods and destroy the worlds. This time will be called
Ragnarok
• The wolves chasing the Sun and Moon will catch and eat them,
and there will be bitter cold. The earth will shake and mountains
will fall, and even Yggdrasil, the World Tree will tremble
• The wolf Fenrir will swallow Odin, but will be killed by Odin's
sons, Vadir. Thor attacks the World Serpent and kills it, but is
poisoned by its venom. Loki will break free and attack Heimdall,
the keeper of the rainbow bridge, which will get shattered
• All the gods, monsters and Giants will die, and the world
will be burned, and the swallowed by the ocean. However,
a new, better world will arise from the waves, lit by a new
sun.
• The dualism that exists is not evil vs. good, but order vs.
Chaos.
• The gods represent order and structure whereas the giants
and the monsters represent chaos and disorder
COSMOS AND
RAGANAROK
THE CREATION
Before the dawn of time and before the
world was created in Norse mythology
there was only a big dark vast
emptiness called Ginnungagap. From
this, two realms came into existence,
Niflheim, and Muspelheim.

In the north Niflheim formed, it

became such a dark and cold place
that there was nothing else than ice,
frost, and fog.
To the south of Ginnungagap, the realm
of Muspelheim formed, this became
the land of fire, and it became so hot
that it would only consist of fire, lava,
and smoke. This is the place where the
fire giant Surtr lives along with other fire
demons and fire giants.
From Muspelheim in the south came
lava and sparks into the great void
Ginnungagap. In the middle of
Ginnungagap, the air from Niflheim
and Muspelheim met, the fire melted
the ice and it began to drip, some of
the ice started to take the shape of a
humanoid creature. It was a jötunn,
also called a giant, this giant was 
Ymir, the first giant in
Norse mythology.
The first giants in Norse mythology

When Ymir fell asleep, he started to

sweat and the sweat under his arms grew
two more giants, one male, and one
female, and one of his legs paired with
the other to create a third, a son
Thrudgelmir “Strength Yeller” These
were the first in the family of frost giants
also called jötnar. They were breastfed
by the cow giant Audhumbla who like
Ymir, was created from the melting ice in
Ginnungagap.
Odin was born by a giant
The giant cow Audhumbla fed
herself on a block of salty ice, and
while she was liking on the ice block
something strange happened. On the
first day, some human hair emerged
from the block. On the second day,
Audhumbla licked on the salty ice
block a head appeared.
At last on the third day, the rest of the body came out. The man who
had grown out of the salty rock was Buri, the first of the Gods. Buri
was a giant, big and handsome. He would later have a son called
Borr, with his wife Bestla. Borr and Bestla would also have three
sons, Odin, Vili, and Ve.
Buri Borr Bestla Odin, Vili, and Ve

= + =
 The death of Ymir
Odin and his two brothers were bothered by
the fact that the giants are exceeding. The
only solution they could see was to kill Ymir.

• They used all their strength and they

managed to kill Ymir then the blood
sprouted which became a flood and
drown all the giants.
• Only two couple giants survive, and
saved their lives, all future giants are
descended from this couple.
 Cosmos
The world was created from the remains of the
giant Ymir in Norse mythology. The three
brothers dragged Ymir’s lifeless body towards
the center of Ginnungagap, this is the place
where they created the world from the remains of
Ymir.

The blood became the oceans, rivers, and lakes.

The flesh became the land.
The bones became the mountains.
The teeth were made into rocks.
The hair became the grass and trees.
The eyelashes became Midgard.
 Cosmos
They threw the brain up in the air and it became the clouds, and
the skull became the sky, Ymir’s skull would be the lid that
covered the new world. The brothers grabbed some of the
sparks shooting out from Muspelheim, the land of fire.

They threw the sparks up toward the inside of the skull, these
sparks gleamed at night and this is what we call the stars. On
the plains of Idavoll, they built Asgard, which would be the home
of the Gods. Very far away from Asgard, in a place
called Jotunheim was the giants allowed to live.

Using Ymir’s corpse, Odin, Vili, and Ve created the seas, the
earth, and the sky. Eventually, the universe was formed by nine
words and the nine worlds are contained within the branches
and roots of the world tree Yggdrasil.
 Yggdrasil is the tree of life
in Norse Mythology
Yggdrasil is an eternal green ash tree in
Norse mythology. It stands in the middle of
the world, with branches that stretch out
over all of the nine realms. Each realm
hangs on its own branch, but if the tree
should shake or fall, so will all the realms.
The nine world in Norse mythology includes
Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard,
Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim,
Svartalfheim, and Helheim.
 MUSPELHEIM
• The World of Fire
• first realm to emanate from the
primordial void of Ginungagap but is
located towards the southern part.
• Muspelheimr is a burning hot place,
filled with lava, flames, sparks, and soot.
Muspelheim is the home of fire giants,
fire demons, and ruled by the giant
Surtr.
• They describe it as hot and bright, and
the conditions rendered the realm so
harsh that it is impassable to those who
are not of the realm itself.
 NIFLHEIM
• The World of Mist, Ice, and Snow
• world of primordial ice, snow, and mist and
was the first realm to emanate from
Ginnungagap when the Yggdrasil tree
branched out to form the different worlds.
• According to Snorri and the Hrafnagaldr
Odins, Niflheim was the darkest and
coldest realm out of the nine.
• no one lives there, not even the frost giant,
and it is a lonely environment with corpses.
• Snorri also describes Nilfheim as part of
Hel’s realm but was less dark.
 ASGARD
• World of Gods and Goddesses
• the home and fortress of the Aesir, one of the two tribes of
gods (the other being the Vanir, who have their home in
Vanaheim).
• in Norse mythology, the dwelling place of the gods,
comparable to the Greek Mount Olympus.
• Access to Asgard was possible only by crossing the
bridge Bifrost (the rainbow).
• Asgard was divided into 12 or more realms in which each
principal god had his own luxurious mansion of gold or
silver.
• The most important palace was Valhalla, the home of
Odin, the chief of the gods.
• found high up in the sky, right over Midgard.
 MIDGARD
• The realm where human beings live
(earth).
• located in the middle part of the world, right
below Asgard.
• It is surrounded by a huge impassable
ocean, occupied by the huge Midgard
Serpent (Jormungandr) that circles the
realm entirely.
• The two realms – Midgard and Asgard, are
connected by a rainbow bridge known as
Bifrost, which the gods of Asgard would use
to journey to the human world.
Asgard and Midgard were connected
by a fiery rainbow bridge called
Bifrost. Only gods and the souls of
dead warriors bound for Valhalla a
were allowed across. The bridge was
guarded by the warrior Heimdall,
armed with his trusty sword. Hofud.
Heimdall would warn the gods of
approaching enemies with a blast on
his horn, called Gjallar.
 VANAHEIMR
• The World of the Vanir gods
• The Vanir were the race of gods
responsible for wealth and fertility.
• They were masters of sorcery and magic
and had abilities to predict the future and
shape it to match their desires.
• Some of the gods who lived in Vanaheim
were; Freya (goddess of love, lust, and
fertility), Njord (god of fertility, wind, and
waters), and Freyr (god of fertility, peace,
and victory).
 ALFHEIMR
• The World of the Light Elves
• It is located on the highest level of
the Norse universe.
• The elves are often described as
minor gods of nature and fertility
and would always help the humans
with the knowledge that they have
about magical powers.
• They also serve as a great source
of inspiration for Scandinavian art,
poetry, and music.
 SVARTAFAHEIMR
• The World of the Dark Elves
• means ‘dark fields’ is described as the home of
the dwarves and the dark elves.
• The dwarves and the elves lived in the caves,
under the rocks, and underground. According to
Nordic creation stories/myths, the dwarves
were originally maggots that preyed on Ymir’s
(the primeval giant) flesh. However, the gods
decided that they should acquire human
understanding and created them from Ymir’s
flesh to assume the likeness of man.
• Icelandic literary sources describe
Svartafaheimr as a dark, smoky place that is
only lit by torches placed on the wall by the
dwarves and fires from the forge.
 JOTUNHEIMR
• The World of the Giants
• located near Asgard and Midgard, is the
world of all the giants.
• Icelandic literary works describe Jotunheim
as a place with dark forests and mountain
peaks. It was constantly in the winter
season and was never fertile. It was full of
untamed wilderness, magic, and frequent
chaos.
• The giants constantly fed on the fish from
the surrounding river and the animals that
lived in the wilderness.
 HELHEIM
• World of the Dishonorable dead
• It includes thieves, adulterers, and murderers
who the Aesir and Vanir gods and goddesses
felt weren’t brave enough to go to Folkvangr
or Valhalla, were sent to Helheim.
• Most Icelandic literary sources describe it as
a grim and extremely cold place and an
underworld for dishonorable people to
continue their lives. It is not necessarily a
place of eternal fire but a dark place beneath
the roots of Yggdrasil.
• It was ruled by Hel (Loki’s daughter) and
uses all the dead in this world at Ragnarok to
attack the gods and goddesses at the plains of
Vigrid.
In Norse Mythology, they believe
that one of the signs of the onset
of the end of this world is the final,
three-year-long winter (with no
intervening summers); it marks
the coming of the Ragnarok, the
battle that will end the world.
 THE DEATH OF
BALDR
The god of light, joy, purity, beauty,
innocence, and reconciliation. Son of
Odin and Frigg. He was loved by both
gods and man and was considered to
be the best of the gods. He had a good
character, was friendly, wise and
eloquent, although he had little power.
Most of the stories about Baldr concern his death. He was
dreaming about his death, so Frigg extracted an oath from every
creature, object, and force in nature (snakes, metals, diseases,
poisons, fire, etc.) that they would never harm Baldr. They agreed
that none of their kind would ever hurt or assist in hurting Baldr.
Thinking him invincible, the gods enjoyed themselves thereafter
by using Balder as a target for knife-throwing and archery. The
malicious trickster Loki, who was jealous of Balder, changed his
appearance and asked Frigg if there was absolutely nothing that
could harm Baldr.
Frigg, suspecting nothing. She
answered that there was just one
thing, a small tree in the west
that was called mistletoe. But,
she thought it was too small to
ask for an oath. Loki
immediately left for the west and
returned with the mistletoe.
He tricked Baldr’s blind twin brother
Hod to shoot with a mistletoe. Not
knowing what he did, Hod threw the
mistletoe, guided by Loki’s aim, and
Balder fell dead, pierced through the
heart. While the gods were
lamenting over Baldr’s death, Odin
sent his other son Hermod to Hel, the
goddess of death, to plead for Baldr’s
return.
Hel agreed to send Balder back to the land of
the living on one condition, everything in the
world, dead or alive, must weep for him. And
everything wept, except for Loki (who had
disguised himself as the witch Thokk) so
Balder had to remain in the underworld. The
others took the dead god, dressed him in
crimson cloth, and placed him on a funeral
pile aboard his ship, Hringhorni, which
passed for the largest in the world. Beside
him they lay the body of his wife Nanna, who
had died of a broken heart.
Also, Balder’s horse and his treasures were placed on
the ship. The pile was set to fire and the ship was sent
to sea by the giantess Hyrrokin. Loki did not escape
punishment for his crime and Hod was put to death
by Vali, son of Odin and Rind, who was born for just
this purpose. After the final conflict, when a new
world arises from its ashes, both Balder and Hod will
be reborn.
 The Punishment of Loki
The Gods brought Loki to a cave
and took three rocks which they
bored holes. Sons of Loki, Vali and
Nari, were brought there. Vali, in the
form of a wolf, killed his brother
Nari. The gods took his entrails and
bound Loki to the rocks with those
entrails. Skadi placed a serpent
above Loki so the venom of the
serpent would fall on Loki’s face.
A wife of Loki, Sigyn, stayed with
him in the cave. There, she held a
dish to get the venom out of Loki’s
face. When the dish was full, she
turned away to empty it. At such
moment, the venom dripped on
Loki’s face. The pain was so real that
Loki screamed and writhed. People
believed that the earth was shaken
every time Loki writhed. Loki stayed
in the cave until the days of
Ragnarok.
Ragnarok
• , the prophecy of the end of the world, the destruction of the gods, the universe,
and everything within it, will begin when the cosmos is rocked by earthquakes.

• Earthquakes will be caused by Loki eventually breaking his shackled.

• The trickster giant was bound to two boulders by the Aesir gods for his role in the
death of Balder, a son of Odin and the most beloved of the gods.

• A serpent has been placed above his head and drips painful venom onto his body,
causing him to writhe in pain, which in turn causes earthquakes. His wife Sigyn
tries to protect him from the pain, by catching the venom in a bowl, but she must
occasionally leave to empty the bowl.
• Loki will break his chains, but it will so shake the cosmos that it will also break some
of the barriers that keep the worlds contained.

• A crack will open in the border of Muspelheim, allowing for the Fire Giants to leave
their realm.

• Surtr, the Fire Giant leader and guardian, will lead the giants of Muspelheim out of
their land and across the Bifrost bridge into Asgard, destroying it as they cross.

• Brandishing a burning sword, Surtr and his army will leave burning everything to the
ground.

• Surtr and the god Freyr will fight to the death

• At the end of the battle of Ragnarok, the burning worlds will sink into the waters of
chaos, and the cosmos will become a void again.
But, this will not be the end. When all is destroyed,
the Earth will rise again from beneath the waters, far
and green. The sons and daughters of the gods will
replace their forebears and from the shelter of the
tree Yggdrasill will emerge a human couple. Lifthrasir
and Lif, to repopulate the Earth.
 NORSE
DEITIES,CREATURES,
AND OTHER BEINGS
In Norse mythology, gods and goddesses
usually belong to one of two tribes: the
Aesir and the Vanir

The Aesir are a group of sky gods led by

Odin. These divine warriors are some of
the most powerful beings in the universe,
and they play a pivotal role in mythology.
They are the gods of the world of Asgard,
one of the Nine Worlds.
In The Gods. In Norse
mythology, the Vanir are
originally a group of wild nature
and fertility gods and goddesses,
the sworn enemies of the warrior
gods of the Aesir. They were
considered to be the bringers of
health, youth, fertility, luck and
wealth, and masters of magic.
The Vanir live in Vanaheim.
 ODIN
The Supreme God and Creator
• Odin is depicted as a long-bearded, one-
eyed man wearing a broad hat and a
cloak..
• Odin was primarily in charge of death,
royalty, sorcery, knowledge, and war.
• The most recognized symbol of the god is
the Triple Horn of Odin.
• It consists of three drinking horns, all
interlocked, and is a common symbol of the
Asatru faith.
• Known for having one eye, wisdom, and
ruling Asgard
• He is the son of Bor and Bestla
• Odin is married to Frigg
 FRIGG
She is the highest-ranking of the Aesir
goddesses.
• Frigg is a fertility goddess in Norse
mythology
• the wife of Odin, the leader of the gods,
and the mother of Baldur.
• associated with marriage, prophecy,
clairvoyance and symbol of
motherhood, and dwells in the wetland
halls of Fensalir.
• Known for foreknowledge, being the
mother of Balder and Hod
 BALDR
• Viking god of purity, light, joy
and summer.
• one of the most beloved
deities of Norse mythology.
• The son of Odin and his
wife Frigg.
• Most myths about Baldr focus
on his tragic death at a young
age.
 FREJYA
The sister and female counterpart of Freyr.
• In charge of love, fertility, battle, and
death. Her father was Njord, the sea
god.
• Pigs were sacred to her, and she rode a
boar with golden bristles.
• considered the mother of the gods in
Norse mythology.
• symbolically represents the perfection
of female power.
• She rides a chariot pulled by two cats
and wears a cloak of falcon feathers and
a gold and amber jeweled necklace.
 FREY
A god of wealth and of the harvest, and patron god
of Sweden and Iceland.
• The handsome Frey had power over rain and
sun, bountiful harvests, good fortune,
happiness, and peace.
• He was the brother of the fertility goddess Freya.
• The Norse god Freyr is no different, but if there
ever was a competition for most beloved deity,
Freyr would stand a good chance of walking away
with the prize.
• symbol of Freyr is the phallus, and he’s often
depicted with a large, erect phallus. This
strengthens his association with fertility and
sexual virility. Like his sister Freya and like other
Vanir gods, Freyr is very rarely mentioned in
modern culture.
 IDUNN
In Norse mythology, Iðunn (Old Norse: [ˈiðonː],
possibly meaning "ever young"), is a goddess
associated with apples and youth.

• She appears in only a few myths

• She give magical apples that reversed the
effects of aging.
• Idunn is the keeper of apples and granter
of eternal youthfulness. Apple trees were
the symbol of rebirth and beauty.
• She is an Aesir Goddess and married to
Bragi
 HEIMDALL
The watchman of the Gods
• Heimdall is one of the most enigmatic
gods in Norse mythology.
• His amazing eyesight and hearing, he
appears in the myths as the guardian
of the gods, sitting at the end of
Bifrost and making sure no giants
sneak into Asgard.
• The main power of the Norse god
Heimdall is surely his supernaturally
good eyesight and earing.
 KVASIR
Kvasir was a man created after the peace deal
between the Aesir and Vanir gods.
• born of the saliva of the Æsir and the Vanir,
two groups of gods.
• Extremely wise, Kvasir traveled far and wide,
teaching and spreading knowledge. This
continued until the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar
killed Kvasir and drained him of his blood.
• The two mixed his blood with honey, thus
creating the Mead of Poetry, a mead which
imbued the drinker with skaldship and
wisdom, and the spread of which eventually
resulted in the introduction of poetry to
mankind.
•
THOR
Thor is an Aesir god who personifies strength and
fertility. Generally depicted with red hair and a red
beard, he was prominent throughout the history of
the Germanic tribes.
• Thor’s prominence increased at the expense of
Odin during the 9th century in Iceland.
• Thor is a Norse god associated with the
protection of mankind. He is well-recognized for
his hammer which he used to control the lightning,
thunder, and storms.
• He was incredibly strong and feared by many,
even though he was interested in preserving the
health and happiness of mankind.
• His Hammer Mjolnir, which can be used to create
or destroy. His hammer is symbolic of masculine
energies, and represents the power that is
available in focused energy and intention.
 LOKI
God of mischief
A cunning trickster who had the ability to change his
shape and sex.
• He is a mischievous and sometimes evil god
who contrived the death of Balder and was
punished by being bound to a rock.
• With the female giant Angerboda (Angrboda:
“Distress Bringer”), Loki produced the progeny
Hel, the goddess of death; Jörmungand, the
serpent that surrounds the world; and Fenrir
(Fenrisúlfr), the wolf. Loki is also credited with
giving birth to Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged
horse.
• son of the giant Farbauti and the goddess
Laufey
• He was married to atleast three wives
 HEL
Hel, in Norse mythology, originally the name of the
world of the dead; it later came to mean the
Goddess of death.
• Hel was one of the children of the trickster god
Loki, and her kingdom was said to lie downward
and northward.
• She ruled over the underworld, Niflheim, where
she received the dead. Her name means “one
that hides.”
• Known for presiding over those who die of
sickness or old age
• the lowest of the Nine Realms in Norse
mythology, resting place of the vast majority of
the dead. Ruled by the cold and uncaring
goddess Hel, when Ragnarök came, she would
unleash the dead upon the living.
• most accounts depicted the realm as a place
where the dead carried on as they had in life
 GERD
She is a mountain jötunn who is
said to be one of the most beautiful
beings.
• Wife of Freyr and a goddess of
fertility. She is the personification of
the fertile soil. She is described as
'the most beautiful of all women'.
 HERMOD
Hermod is a deity in the Norse
pantheon. He is messenger of the
Norse gods, and a son of Odin and
Frigg. Hermod is a somewhat thin
man, and only around five feet tall.
He is typically dressed in a cloak of
elven kind and leather armor. He
carries a short sword or rapier.
 HOD
In Norse mythology, Hod is a blind
god, associated with night and
darkness. Hod was the son of the
principal god, Odin, and his wife,
Frigg. He was tricked by the evil
god Loki into killing his brother
Balder, who was the most beautiful
and perfect of the gods.
 MIMIR
Mímir (Old Norse "The
rememberer, the wise one") or
Mimir is a figure in Norse
mythology, renowned for his
knowledge and wisdom, who is
beheaded during the Aesir-Vanir
War. Afterward, the god Odin
carries around Mímir's head and
it recites secret knowledge and
counsel to him.
 NJORD
Njord was the god of the sea in
Norse mythology. He was said to
not only control the sea and wind,
but also to provide wealth and have
a role in the fertility of crops. This
made him an important figure to the
seafaring Norse culture. He was
widely regarded as one of their
greatest deities. He was the father
of Freya and Freyr.
 SKIRNIR
Skírnir is a servant of Freyr in
Norse mythology. He is sent to
Jǫtunheimr to gain Gerðr 's affection
towards Freyr, as Freyr has fallen in
love with her. When Gerðr refuses,
Skírnir threatens her with his
gambanteinn, or magic wand.
 THRYM

King of the frost giants

• In one legend, he stole
Mjǫlnir, Thor 's hammer, to
extort the gods into giving
him Freyja as his wife.
 SKRYMIR
Giant king of Jotunheim
Thor found a sleeping Giant
nearby whose snorings and
heavings shook the ground. The
Giant awoke, told Thor his name was
Skrymir, revealed their shelter had
been his glove, and offered to
accompany the group. Skrymir
carried the sack of provisions, and
that night when the group sat down
to eat the sack could not be opened.
Skadi Goddess of Winter and Snow
Every time Skadi appeared, something would
be frozen for she brought coldness to the
atmosphere. Many scholars believed that the
Vikings didn't prefer winter. Because in the
winter, they could produce no crop which
meant famine would happen. No one wanted
to be starving.

One of the signs of the onset of the end of this

world, the final, three-year-long winter (with no
intervening summers); it marks the coming of
the Ragnarok, the battle that will end the
world.
 DIFFERENT CREATURES IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY
Kraken is a legendary sea
monster of enormous size with an
octopus-like appearance.
According to the Norse sagas, the
Kraken dwells off the coasts of
Norway and Greenland and
terrorizes nearby sailors.
Ratatoskr ( Old Norse, generally
considered to mean "drill-tooth" or
"bore-tooth") is a squirrel who runs
up and down the world tree Yggdrasil
to carry messages between the eagle
perched atop Yggdrasil, and the
serpent Níðhöggr, who dwells
beneath one of the three roots of the
tree.
Nidhoggr was one of the
creatures that lived in Yggdrasil,
the World Tree, in Norse
mythology. A great venomous
serpent, he chewed on the root
of Yggdrasil that lay over the ice
realm of Niflheim. He also feated
on the decaying bodies of the
dead in Hel’s realm.
The Huldra is a female
creature and a beautiful
woman with a crown of
flowers and long, blonde
hair, but she had the tail of a
cow which made men afraid
of her.Huldra seduced young
men and lured them into the
mountains where she would
imprison them.
The Mare was a malicious
creature in Norse mythology,
known to give people
nightmares by sitting on their
chests as they slept. If you
haven’t made the connection
already, this is where we get
the word nightmare from.
Huginn (Old Norse:
"thought" ) and Muninn (Old
Norse "memory" or "mind" )
are a pair of ravens that fly
all over the world, Midgard,
and bring information to the
god Odin.
 Elves
In Norse mythology, there are two
different types of elves, the Dokkalfar
(the dark elves) and the Ljosalfar (the
light elves).

The Dokkalfar elves lived under the

earth and were said to be similar to
dwarves but were completely black in
color.

The Ljosalfar, on the other hand, were

radiantly beautiful and were considered
the same as the gods.
Audhumbla
In Norse mythology, the primeval cow
at creation, formed from vapors. She
fed the primeval giant Ymir and lived by
licking the salt from stones. On the first
day she licked the stones the hairs of a
man appeared. On the second day a
human head appeared.
 FENRIR
Lord of Wolves
• Fenrir is regarded as one of the most feared
monsters in Norse mythology.
• The name “Fenrir” roughly translates to He
Who Dwells in the Marshes”.
• This beast was fostered by the Norse gods in
Asgard, as the gods had tremendous fear of
the wolf. The gods, under the leadership of
the All father Odin, believed that by raising
Fenrir themselves they could keep him under
control.
• Known for biting off the hand of Odin’s son
Tyre, killing Odin at final battle of Ragnarok
• Wolf son of Loki and the frost giantess
Angrboda
 JORMUNGAND
• Jormungand’s name means “earth
necklace,”
• also called the Midgard Serpent
• a snake or dragon who lives in the ocean
that surrounds Midgard, the visible
world.
• So enormous is he that his body forms a
circle around the entirety of Midgard. He is
one of the three children of Loki and the
giantess Angrboda.
• Known for circling Midgard and killing Thor
at final Ragnarok
 SLEIPNIR
The eight-legged horse of the god
Odin. He got its name because he
"glides along" equally on land and
water, as well as in the air. A unique
creature who can travel in the nine
different realms of the Yggdrasil tree.
Norns are the most powerful beings of all
in Norse mythology. They govern the lives
of gods and mortals, they decide what is
going to happen, including when and how.
There were three Norns whose names
were:

Urdr (past) – meaning The Past or just

Fate
Verdandi (present)– meaning What Is
Presently Coming into Being
Skuld (future)– meaning What Shall Be
The Norns are somewhat similar to the Fates of
Greek Mythology. The Norns were also responsible for
taking care of Yggdrasil, the tree that held the nine worlds
together. Their job was to keep the tree from dying by
taking water from the Well of Urd and pouring it on its
branches. They live in a hall by a well ( Urdarbrunnr,
“Well of Fate”) beneath Yggdrasil, the mighty tree at the
center of the Norse otherworld, which holds the Nine
Worlds in its branches and roots.
 VALKYRIES
Valkyries are female figures
associated with the god Odin.
Valkyries are noble maidens whose task
is to bring the bodies of heroes killed in
battle to their final resting place in
Valhalla. These women are responsible
for watching over battlefields and
collecting the best of the best warriors to
make up Odin’s army, which he will
unleash during Ragnarok. The Valkyries’
nobility is reflected in their appearance.
They have lily-white skin and statuesque
figures.
Trolls are humanoid creatures
who dwell deep in the
wilderness of Scandinavia. Their
appearance ranges from
monstrous to eccentric to cute, but
they are almost all unfriendly, no
matter how charming they might
look. Unless you are a quick-
thinker, an encounter with a Troll
never ends well.
The Draugar are the undead of
Norse Mythology. Although
some stories describe them as
drinking blood creature, they
are more like zombies
(monsters) than vampires. The
Draugar possess superhuman
strength and can increase their
size at will, but they cannot
shake the unmistakable stench
of decay and have the hideous
visage of a dead body.
“Better to fight and fall than to
live without hope.”
—Volsunga Saga, Ch 12
-END-

PREPARED BY:
CAYRON, NYKA
ALACRE, KRIZZY JOYCE
ARELLANO, CRYSTAL