VIKING MYTHOLOGY
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Outline
• Introduction
• Part I. The Vikings
• Part II. Norse mythology
• Part III. Viking gods
• Part IV. Influence of Viking mythology
• Conclusion
• References
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The Vikings began to raid their southern neighbors
around 800 A.D.
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Introduction
• 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
• They
eventually converted to Christianity and settled
in the lands they had raided
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The Vikings
• Scandinavia,
name applied collectively to three
countries of northern Europe—Norway and Sweden, and
Denmark. The three countries grouped because of their
historical, cultural, and linguistic similarities
• 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
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The Vikings
• The
basic social structure was that of small, free farmers
who owed loyalty (along with taxes) to the headman or
patriarch of the family
• Men
being away from home often, free women enjoyed a
power unique in Europe
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The Vikings
• They
traveled as far as North America in the West and
Russia and Constantinople in the East
Europe’s ability to resist their attacks grew; the
Vikings settled and converted to Christianity
• Christian
• They
were great sailors and ferocious enemies, but also
great storytellers and hard workers
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Viking mythology
• 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
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Viking mythology
• Norse
mythology had no scripture. The mythology was
orally transmitted in the form of long, regular poetry
• Storytellers
were calls “skalds”
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Odin, the Norse
god of war and
death, was
accompanied by
two wolves,
Freki (translated
as “fierce”) and
Geri (translated
as “greedy”).
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Viking mythology
• In
Norse mythology, the earth is represented as a flat disc.
This disk is situated in the branches of the world tree, or
Yggdrasil
• 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
centre of this universe. The lands of Elves, Gods, and Giants
lay across an encircling sea
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Viking mythology
• The
land of the Dead called Niflheim lay beneath the Middleearth and was ruled by Hel, daughter of Loki
•A
rainbow bridge, Bifrost Bridge, extended from Middleearth to Asgard across the sea. An outer sea encircled the
seven other worlds
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Viking mythology
• 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 Yggdrasill, the
World Tree, and this bridge was called Bifrost, the
rainbow
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Viking mythology
• Viking
warriors believed that if they died heroically
they would be called to dwell with Odin in Valhalla
• They
were chosen by the Valkyries, women who wore
armour, and rode swiftly over land and sea on
horseback. The Valkyries also decided who would win
a battle
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Viking mythology
• 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 Yggrasill, the World Tree will
tremble
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Viking mythology
• The
wolf Fenrir will swallow Odin, but will be killed by
Odin's son, 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 then swallowed by the ocean. However,
a new, better world will arise from the waves, lit by a new
sun.
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Viking gods
• 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
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Brynhild
begs Odin
An
illustration
from F. L.
Spence
Rhine
Legends
(1915)
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Viking gods: Odin
• Father
of Thor, Tyr and Balder;
• Title: The Cunning god
• god
of war and death, but also the god of poetry and
wisdom
• He
invented Runes, the secret writing of the Saxons
and Vikings, which not only stored knowledge, but
could be used for magic
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Thor, god of
thunder, son of
Odin. "Thor's
Day" is
Thursday in
English. He is
the homologue
of Zeus. Here
picture of the
Marvel Comics
Hero.
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Viking gods: Thor
• Title:
Thunder God;
• Son of Odin
• He
holds Mjolnir, one of the mightiest weapons of both
man and god
• Married
to Sif, a fertility goddess
• He
was very popular as the protector of both gods and
humans against the forces of evil
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Loki is connected
with fire and
magic, and can
assume many
different shapes
(horse, falcon, fly).
He is directly
responsible for the
death of Balder,
the god of light.
Here fighting with
Thor
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Viking gods: Loki
• Loki
is not a member of the Asgardians, but the son of
Laufey, the deceased monarch of the Frost Giants, the
ancient enemies of the Asgardians
• Odin
took Loki and raised him as his son alongside his
biological son Thor
• Loki
was not always evil; he helped Thor on many
adventures
• He
had monstrous children, Fenrir the wolf, the World
Serpent and Hela, queen of the dead
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Influence of Viking mythology
• Conan
the Barbarian
• Tolkien
(Lord of the Rings)
• Dungeons
and Dragons are based on the work of various
fantasy authors (including Howard and Tolkien) and
many mythologies, including Norse mythology
• In
the Marvel Universe, Thor has been one of the longest
running superheroes for the company
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Influence of Viking mythology
• The
Germanic gods have left traces in modern English
vocabulary
• An example of this is some of the names of the days of
the week
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Influence of Viking mythology
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Key Questions
1.
What values do the Norse people hold?
2.
How are these values reflected in the
Norse oral stories and written texts?
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References
• http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561500/Vikings.html
• http://www.pantheon.org/articles/b/brunhilde.html
• http://odin.dep.no/odin/engelsk/norway/history/032005-
990460/index-dok000-b-n-a.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien
• http://www1.pu.edu.tw/~bmon/Fairy.htm#internet
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(Marvel_Comics)
• http://www.bartleby.com/61/23/O0032300.html
• http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/tml/index.htm
• http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=keary&book=a
sgard&story=_contents
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