The Norse

1
The Norse

• The Norsemen were not one homogenous group - they
  were a spectrum of various tribes, speaking
  different languages coming from the North of
  Europe.
• They were seen as a 'Germanic People' and
  considered as savages and vandals with great
  knowledge in sailing and shipbuilding.
• The Vikings, a tribe of Norsemen were masters of
  ships and raiding coastal towns and cities with
  brutal wildness. They were feared and hated all
  over the European coast from Ireland to Britain
  to Gaul.
• Norsemen were able to come together via trade and
  treaties. Most of the Norse-Vikings were
  Norwegian and Danish and they lined up together
  against their enemies.

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• As the Norse Pantheon was established the names
  of their gods and deities became accepted truth
  all over Norse territories .
• The belief in Odin and the Ragnarok is shared
  throughout all the Norse tribes.
• The Norse always saw themselves as a people apart
  and kept to the more important aspects of their
  culture linguistically and theologically.
• Those who migrated to Brittan and Gaul despite
  their adaption of Christianity still practiced
  certain Nordic traditions as elements of their
  theology .
• Those who migrated to Iceland however managed to
  keep all the old traditions intact and preserved
  from language to social organization.

3
The Creation Myth of the Norse

• Myths are stories passed down through oral and
  written history that answer questions that
  society has about a particular phenomenon that
  they cannot explain
• Norse myths are told in Edda as narratives of
  heroic poetry that tell stories about various
  Norse deities in their Pantheon.
• In the Snorra Edda from the 12th century,
  complete' appearances of Nordic Mythological
  figures, hierarchy of the deities, their natures,
  and the ultimate events that are to unfold in the
  world are told.
• The Muspell, is the first world to ever exist is
  a place of extreme fire and ice that no one can
  endure it.

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• Surt an ancient God that guards the doors of
  Muspell with a Sword and will vanquish all the
  gods and burn the world in the end.
• Niflheim, a realm of Ice, frost, wind, rain and
  heavy cold  
• Ginnungagap is a great void between fire and ice
• Jötunn, a race of supernatural giants of great
  strength.
• Ymir giant frost monster.
• Audhumla The ice cow

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• Ginnungagap collides with the soft air,
  heat, light, and soft air from Muspell and where
  condensation happened it created the giant frost
  monster Ymir and the ice cow Audhumla. From
  Ymir's foot emerged Jötunn, a race of
  supernatural giants of great strength. From his
  sweat came Surt, then Ymir nourished himself with
  the milk of the ice cow who then proceeded to
  lick a salt stone. From this stone arose the male
  Jötunn Buri who fathered Bör who fathered the
  gods Odin, Vili and Ve. When the gods had
  strength enough, they killed Ymir. Ymir's blood
  flooded the world and killed all but two of the
  Jötunn. Over time the Jötunn increased in numbers
  and the gods created worlds 7 of them using
  Ymir's flesh for earth, his blood for the waters,
  his bones for stones, his brain for the clouds
  and his skull for the skies. The sparks from
  Muspelheim strayed into the skies to become the
  stars.

6

• The gods transformed two tree trunks into humans
  - a man, Ask and a woman, Embla.
• Odin gave life to them, Vili gave them
  consciousness and Ve gave them the ability to
  see, hear, and speak.
• They then created a world, Middle-Earth for them,
  fencing it with the lashes of Ymir to keep the
  Jötunn away.
• Ask and Embla became the fore parents of
  humanity under the protection of the gods.
• Good and evil are according to the views and
  will of the gods whom are to protect and guide
  humanity until the day of the Ragnarok, the
  reckoning of all creation where great battles and
  natural disasters will take the lives of major
  gods and Jötunns and almost wipe out humanity,
  ending all in a massive blaze.
• after Ragnarok, the surviving gods and the
  remaining man and woman repopulate an emerging
  new world, fertile and full of promise.

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Good Evil, Societal Values

• In Iceland, the most remarkable of Norse values
  have been practiced and preserved despite the
  enforcement of Christianity in 1000 AD by the
  Norwegian king, Olafr Tryggvason.
• Law, social organization and protection was
  based on clan protection and blood-dispute. Also,
  they have built a 'central government' called
  Assembly. Annually, clan chiefs would meet to
  resolve conflict, form treaties and agreements to
  prevent blood-dispute.
• They were experienced in maritime explorations
  and depended on agreements with one another to
  strengthen their expeditions. The Norse were
  great storytellers and love traveling and
  adventures.
• They excelled in the writing of sagas and recited
  by their Skalds as a form of oral history,
  tradition, worship and entertainment their
  values - courage, loyalty, strength over
  difficulty and honor.

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• In the sagas, gods and humans interacted and
  women were cunning just as they were sweet and
  capable of great deceit just as villain humans.
• Valkyries, beautiful women spirits take the
  spirit of the slain from the battle field to
  Valhalla, the halls of Odin to feast on divine
  mead in preparation for the ultimate battles of
  Ragnarok.
• Good and evil is believed according to the values
  of honor, loyalty, love and courage and is
  represented most in the actions of the Jötunn
  Loki whose treason knew no bounds.

9
The Norse Pantheon of Gods Cosmology

• In the Norse Cosmology, the gods and supernatural
  beings are constantly at war. Human beings fall
  under the protection of the clan of gods headed
  by Odin as they created and protect Middle-Earth,
  the world of the human beings. But beyond this
  world, several others exist populated by spirits
  and beings keen to extend their power towards
  Middle-Earth and humanity.
• The
  Worlds
• Asgard is the world of the Aesir, a
  particular race of spirits. Vanaheimr is the
  world of the Vanir, another spirit race.
• Midgard or Middle-earth is our world,
  protected and created by the gods Odin, Vili
  and Ve.
• Muspellheim is the world of the
  primordial fire and extreme heat. Niflheim is
  the world of the primordial ice and extreme cold.
  Svartálfaheim is the world of the Svartálfar
  or black elves. Álfheimr is the world of the
  Álfar or elves. Hel or the underworld is the
  underground world the dead. Jötunheimr, world
  of the jötnar, singular jötunn, a race of
  powerful spirits/giants.

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• Odin's Valhalla is located in Asgard.
• In Valhalla, the hall of Einherjar is home to the
  spirits of the greatest Midgard warriors selected
  by the Valkyries they will assist the gods in
  Ragnarok.
• In Nifhel, a place in Hel, the most destructive
  of criminals and oathbreakers are taken to suffer
  pain.
• All worlds are connected by the tree Yggdrasil
  and at the top of it lays Asgard.
• It is guarded by the farsighted god Heimdall.
  The roots of the tree are chewed by the dragon
  Nidhogg who will consume Yggdrasil at the
  appointed time.

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The Races of Spirits and Gods

• Aesir - The primary Norse gods who resides in
  Asgard.
• Asynjur - Norse goddesses of the Aesir.
• Svartalfar - Black elves of Jötunn origins.
• Valkyries - beautiful female warrior spirits.
• Vanir - another race of gods and goddesses that
  are often in conflict or in treaty with the
  Aesir.
• The Norns - the 3 Norse fates - they serve the
  Yggdrasil and keep it from withering.
• The Elves - there were good and bad elves and
  they took pleasure in the service of humanity for
  their amusement.
• Dwarves - sturdy and dwelt in the earth to delve
  for metals.
• Giants - a race of jötnarr with the ability to
  create catastrophe in worlds.
•  

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Midgard Pantheon

• Odin - The Chief god whose realm is wisdom, war,
  poetry, wind, prophecy and magic. He is also a
  chief god of creation. Wednesday is named after
  him.
• Frigga - Odin's wife, the queen of all Nordic
  Deities. Her realm is marriage and the home.
• Thör - the god of thunder, son of Odin and Jörd.
  He is also known as the god of fire as his hammer
  is the great defence of gods against the giants
  of frost. Thursday was named after him.
• Loki - a Jötunn, he is the son of giants Farbauti
  and Laufey. He is destructive and harmful,
  finding joy in the misery of others. Known as the
  great trickster, he is mean and hateful of others
  wishing to overthrow the gods and throw the
  worlds to ruin.
• Balder - god of the Sun, he is the son of Odin
  and Frigga. He was gentle and beautiful and
  beloved by all. His wife is Nann, the goddess if
  the moon. He is also the god of foretelling.
• Frey - he is the god of fruitfulness, harvest,
  sunshine and rain. A brother to Freya, he is also
  a sponsor of fishermen and seafarers. He lived
  with Elfheim.
• Freya - the goddess of love and the art of
  healing, she received half of the heroes who fell
  in battle with the other half going to Odin. She
  is also the goddess of harvest, fruitfulness and
  fertility. Friday was named after her.
• Hel - the goddess of the underworld, she is the
  daughter of Loki. Pure evil, her realm is about
  suffering and horror her dish was Hunger, her
  knife was Starvation, and her attendants were
  Delay and Slowness. In Niflheim she fed on the
  brains and marrow of men.
• Bragi - son of Odin and Frigga, he was the god of
  wisdom and poetry as well as eloquence. His wife
  is Idun, the goddess of spring and renewal.

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• Heimdall - he guards Bifrost. He is the god of
  sight and hearing and can hear and see through
  incredible distances, day or night over cold or
  heat. Hi greatest enemy is Loki whom he will
  kill..
• Tyr - he is the god of athleticism, strength and
  all such activities. Warriors look up to Tyr for
  strength and courage. His most bitter enemy is
  Fenrir, an offspring of Loki who bit his right
  hand off and Garm, the hell-hound. Tuesday was
  named after him.
• Jörd - she is the goddess of the earth, imbued
  with wisdom of the primitive earth from whom all
  life hails. She is the mother of Odin.
• Ulle - the god of the chase and the hunt, his
  realm is archery, speed. He is also a warrior god
  who delights in hand to hand combat.
• Mimir - the custodian of the fountain of wisdom
  whose knowledge is of great importance to Odin he
  gave one of his eyes in exchange for a drink from
  the fountain.
• Vithar - a god of great strength and of will at
  battles, he is seen as silent and reserved. Yet
  it is he Mimir foretells who will kill Fenrir and
  avenge the death of Odin. He will survive
  Ragnarok to renew the world.

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Symbolic Figures Holy/Unholy Items

• In the Norse Mythology spirits and gods take the
  form of animals, trees and even objects as their
  elemental representation or change shape for a
  purpose (i.e. Loki). There are also great items
  of importance like weapons and objects important
  to gods.
• Yggdrasil - it is the tree in the form of an Ash
  that worlds exist in.
• Nidhogg - the serpent/dragon son of Loki who is
  consuming the Yggdrasil from its roots.
• Garm - a hell-hound, he guards the Gnipa cave.
• The Mistletoe - it is the only plant that wasn't
  hallowed by Frigga to protect Balder from. It
  killed him.
• Fenrir - another offspring of Loki, he is an evil
  monster-wolf.
• Balmung Gungnir - Odin's sword and spear,
  respectively.
• Mjollnir - Thor's hammer and the great fear of
  the frost giants.
• Gjallar - Heimdall's horn which will signify the
  start of Ragnarok.
• Grendel - the monster that Beuwolf killed in the
  Nordic Saga, Beuwolf.
•  

15
Rewards of Life and Destination after Death

• In Norse Mythology, it is clear to see that
  courage and honour
• are rewarded with honoured places in the halls
  of Valhalla,
• which is analogous to the Greek Elysium, where
  the greatest of
• warriors are chosen by the 13 Valkyries to
  reside in Einherjar,
• the hall of the greatest Midgard warrior souls.
  Drinking divine
• mead and eating without restrained, fighting over
  and again the
• battles that gave them glory and immortal fame.
  As half of the
• fallen warriors only go to Odin, the other half
  are taken to be
• nourished in the care of Freya, the goddess of
  love in whom
• the warriors find rest.
•  

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• Even as the gods die, their spirits are sent to
  realms where the spirits of the gods can reside
  either in the clutches of the evil underworld
  goddess Hel or in one of the worlds that had
  primordial content as gods in their elements
  never truly die even as Odin himself have the
  power to restore or give life. Because of
  Valhalla, a lot of women also chose the path of
  the warrior and they are known as shield maidens
  as they also seek to find a place in Valhalla.
  Most women and children who lived life well ended
  up in Freya's gardens in their death. And, as
  explained above, the most evil of men end up in
  the tortures of Nifhelheim in Hel's abode to
  suffer under the worlds are turned asunder.

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Bibliography

• Web -
• http//www.wsu.edu8001/dee/MA/NORSE.HTM
• http//www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/norse.html
• http//www.pitt.edu/dash/creation.html
• http//www.wizardrealm.com/norse/gods.html
• http//www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link/mythology/n
  orse_culture.html
• http//www.suite101.com/article.cfm/mythology/1428
  4
• http//www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ar-Be/Beowulf.html
  
• Print -
• Lindow, John (2002), Norse mythology a guide to
  the Gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs, Oxford
  University Press US.
• Robinson, H.S. Wilson K. (1962), The
  Encyclopaedia of Myths Legends, Key Ward,
  London.