The Gods
There are many deities in Norse mythology, most of which belong to one of two main groups, they are the Æsir and the Vanir. The former is the more prominent of the two. Long ago there existed a rivalry between the two factions but this was ultimately resolved with an arranged marriage.
Odin
Odin (Allfather) is the ruler of Asgard and all other gods have bent the knee to him. His name actually persists in many facets of our lives, in fact the word Wednesday is a derivative of "Odin's Day". He is known to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and wisdom. So much so that to know all there is to know in the universe he made great sacrifices. He gave his eye in exchange for knowledge and he hung himself by the neck from the roots of The World Tree to attain the knowledge of the runes. He takes on many forms, the most notable of which are a crow and that of an old traveler. He was associated with knowledge, might, war and nature and the ebb and flow of life. Odin often wears disguises to trick people into giving him what he wants. Odin has two ravens that fly over all the realms and bring him information. These ravens are called Huginn and Muninn.
Thor
Thor is the eldest son of Odin and the god of thunder. He has the spirit of a true warrior and is a figure that all warriors aspire to be like. Thor is known to be quite macho and often belligerent to the point where he would pick fights with other deities. Thor is the inspiration for another day of the week which is "Thursday" (initially Thor's day). He wields the mighty hammer Mjölnir and the iron gauntlets of Jarngreipr . Thor's archnemesis is the World Serpent Jörmungandr. The two are destined to kill each other at the time of Ragnarok. Known to be the strongest warrior of all time, Thor spends his days battling and slaughtering the enemies of the Gods.
Balder
Balder is one of the Æsir and is known to be the fairest of all gods despite being a male. He is the son of Odinn and Frigg. He is so beautiful and pure that he literally shimmers and radiates light from his body. He is the god of purity and light. He is so beautiful that even flowers bow to him. He is also the most gracious and kind one among the gods. Balder was loved by everyone except Loki the trickster. The gods loved Balder but they teased him by throwing objects at him because he was immune to all harm thanks to a spell cast on him by Frigg. Loki tricked a minor god called Höd to throw mistletoe at him. Mistletoe however was Balder's only weakness and thus it led to his immediate death.
Frigg
Frigg, also known as Freya is the leader of the Vanir and wife to Odin. It was their marriage that ended the bad blood between the Æsir and Vanir. The word Friday can be traced back to her name. She is associated with wisdom, foresight and fertility. She and Odin had a son called Balder to consummate their marriage. Frigg was fluent is many forms of magic, most notably "völva" which was the magic of foresight and bringing about change to the predetermined fate of individuals, this act of hers was called "weaving".
The Nine Realms
There are nine distinct worlds (realms) in Scandinavian Mythology that coexist on different locations on the World Tree, all of which possess their respective specialties and inhabitants, making them all unique.
ASGARD is the realm of The Æsir, the most prominent pantheon of gods. It resides in the sky, at the very top of The World Tree. Aside from being the dwelling of the Æsir, Asgard is home to the Bifröst and of course, Valhalla. Bifröst is known as The Rainbrow Bridge and it is as the name suggests a mechanism whereby the inhabitants of Asgard could visit other Realms. The Bifröst is guarded by the God Heimdall, known as The Palest of All Gods. Valhalla is where souls that are truly worthy go when they pass away. Warriors who have fought valiantly and honorable folk will be granted passage through the gates of Valhalla.
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MUSPELHEIM is the realm of fire and brimstone. It is a land covered by gigantic volcanos that erupt incessantly, oceans of lava and raging flames all over. Muspelheim is the home of the fire giants and most notably among them Surtr.
JOTUNHEIM is the home of the giants, one of the first beings ever to come to life. Jotunn (giants) are sworn enemies with The Æsir, a rivalry that stemmed from Odin, Vili and Ve's massacre of the giants following the death of Tyr. There is no fertile soil in Jotunheim thus the giants live as hunter-gatherers.
VANAHEIM is the home of the less known Vanir pantheon. They are a prolific sect of Gods that have control over abundance, wealth and fertility. They are said to be proficient in many forms of magic. Most notable Vanir are Freyr and Frejya. Vanaheim is known for its lush and evergreen forests. The Vanir would make use of various plants in these forests to brew potent magic.
SVARTHALFHEIM is the home of the dark elves and contains plenty of rivers and marshes. In Norse mythology dark elves are also known as dwarves. The dwarves were master craftsmen who have lent a hand to the Æsir on many occasions. This realm also contained many underground structures. The name itself translates to 'Realm of Dark Elves' as they are the primary inhabitants of the realm.
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MIDGARD is for all intents and purposes, the Earth that we live in. It translates to "Middle Earth". Midgard was given to humans by Odin after The Creation. Midgard was created from the remnants of Tyr and is also home to The World Serpent.
NIFLHEIM is the realm of ice, mist and snow. The entirety of this realm is enveloped in never ending blizzards and hailstorms and a thick fog. It is said to be covered in mountain regions aside from being extremely cold. It is also said all of the rivers in Midgard flow from a huge well in Niflheim called Hvergelmir.
HELHEIM is the place that inhabits those who led dishonorable lives and were vile at heart. It is considered to be the Hell of Norse mythology. Countless undead roam its lands and this army of the dead will attack the gods during Ragnarök (The Apocalypse). To the right is a depiction of Odin riding into Hel with his six-legged steed Sleipnir.
ALFHEIM is the home of the light elves. The elves were a very intelligent and elegant species that preferred not to interfere in the business of the other races in the realms and chose to stay clear of their petty squabbles. They instead were seen as angels, beings that were pure who directed their attention to art and beauty.
Important Beings and Events
Tyr and 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 Ginungagap. To the north of Ginungagap there is a place called Niflheim. Niflheim is a very dark and cold place, and it consists only of ice, frost, and fog. To the south of Ginunngagap there is a place called Muspelheim, this is the land of fire, and it is so hot there that it only consists of fire, lava, and smoke. This is the place that the fire giant Surtr will become the ruler and live here along with other fire demons and fire giants."
In time the sparks and lava from Muspelheim met with the winds and frost from Niflheim. They were merged in Ginunngagap. The fire strated to melt the ice and the dripping water created the first living being and the first of the Giants, Ymir alongside the cow giant Audhumla. From the sweat of Ymir came the first of the Jotun who were frost giants, one male and one female. They were fed by the milk of Audhumla. These giants went on to have 3 sons, namely Vili, Ve and finally the "Allfather" Odin. They were the first of the Æsir.
As time went on the giants grew to far outnumber the Æsir. Odin and his brothers were vexed by this fact and conspired to murder him. When Ymir fell asleep they attacked him and drowned the giants in his blood, driving them to near extinction in the process. They dragged Ymir's corpse to Ginunngagap and from its vestiges they created The World. From his blood they made the rivers, lakes and the oceans. From his flesh they made soil, from his bones they forged the mountains. The hair became the grass and trees and finally from his brain they made the clouds. And thus Midgard ( The Earth) was created. Later Odin and his brothers went on to create the first two humans. They found two logs on a beach. Odin gave them life and spirit. Ve gave them minds and Vili gave them speech and senses. The male was named Ask and the female was named Embla. They would go on to populate Midgard.
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To the right is an illustration of Tyr by Lorenz Frolich.
Ragnarok
It translates to "Fate of the Gods" and it is the apocalypse in Norse Mythology. Two armies will clash, one led by Thor and the other led by the fire giant Surtr. Most of the Æsir and and monsters are destined to die in Ragnarok. It is stated that giant will fight giant and there will be no stone left standing after the devastation that is Ragnarok. It is destined to start with Sköll and Hati catching up to the Sun and Moon and devouring them.
The beginning of Ragnarok will be precursored by Fimbulwinter, a winter that is thrice as long as a normal winter with wind blowing incessantly in all directions, laying ruin to all life in Midgard. At the end of Fimbulwinter Ragnarok will begin and during the great battle Fenrir the great wolf will break his chains and devour Odin. Thor and Jörmungandr will kill each other, Freyr and Surtr will slay one another and Heimdall and Loki will also do battle, both dying in the process. Surtr's remains will then burn all of Midgard and the fires will be put out by a great flood. The remaining gods will forge a new world, though the details of this new world are obscure.
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To the right is a depiction of the foretold events of Ragnarok.
Sköll and Hati
In Norse Mythology the Sun was known as Sòl and the Moon as Mani. Sköll and Hati were the children of the great wolf Fenrir. They were in fact two wolves, brother and sister. When they went on a journey to save their beloved father, they were also captured and put in chains by Odin. Sòl and Mani were fickle beings and could not be controlled. So the Æsir had an idea. They enslaved Sköll and Hati and sent them to chase after the Sun and the Moon. Since then they keep chasing the Sun and the Moon in unison so as to form night and day. It is also prophesised that the day Sköll and Hati catch their targets, is the day the world ends.
Yggdrasil
Known as the "Tree of Life", Yggdrasil resides at the very center of the universe in Norse Mythology. Its branches reach the havens. Its roots span all the Nine Realms and acts as a roundabout for those who want to travel amidst them. The literal translation is "Odin's Gallows" and the story behind it is an interesting one. In his never ending pursuit of wisdom and knowledge Odin The All-father , after inquiring with the wise Mimir, Odin realized that in order to gain that wisdom he had to hang himself from Yggdrasil. So he did and in sacrificing his mortal body he attained the knowledge of the runes.
Huginn & Muninn
The namesake for this website, Huginn and Muninn are Odin's close companions, two ravens that sit on each of his shoulders. They represent knowledge and intelligence. Each and everyday they fly over the Nine Realms and return to Odin at the day's end and tell him of all that they have seen and heard. It is worth mentioning that they have extremely keen eyesight and hearing, allowing them to pick up on even the slightest of movements and the most secretive of audiences. Odin, as the legend says would always worry that his beloved companions would not return to him as some harm could befall them. Huginn and Muninn were spoken of often in the Poetic Edda and the Ynglinga Saga, two very important pieces of literature regarding Norse Mythology.
Jörmungandr
Known as the "Tree of Life", Yggdrasil resides at the very center of the universe in Norse Mythology. Its branches reach the havens. Its roots span all the Nine Realms and acts as a roundabout for those who want to travel amidst them. The literal translation is "Odin's Gallows" and the story behind it is an interesting one. In his never ending pursuit of wisdom and knowledge Odin The All-father , after inquiring with the wise Mimir, Odin realized that in order to gain that wisdom he had to hang himself from Yggdrasil. So he did and in sacrificing his mortal body he attained the knowledge of the runes.
