NORSE
MYTHOLOGY
Norse mythology
• The religion of the Scandinavian regions, pre-Christianity.
These tales are important, as they come from the AngloSaxons, the originators of the English language. Their stories
followed them to England.
• There are nine separate worlds, each one being the home of
a different race: the gods’ home Asgard, the humans’ home
Midgard, the giants’ home Jötunheimr, etc.
• (The races and many of
the terms used in Lord of
the Rings come from Norse
mythology.)
Yggsdrasil – the World Tree
The nine realms are:
Humans – Midgard
Asgardian Gods – Asgard
Vanir Gods – Vanaheim
Ice Giants – Jotunheim
Elves – Alfheim
Dark Elves – Svartalfheim
Dwarves – Nidavellir
Demons – Muspelheim
the Dead – Hel
Odin
• Chief of the gods
• Father of Thor, Balder, and
other gods
• Odin pierces himself with a
spear and hangs on Yggdrasil
for 9 days and nights to learn
the secret knowledge of runes
• Has one eye because he
traded it for a drink from the
spring of ALL KNOWING
His two ravens are called Huginn and
Muninn (Thought and Memory)
Valkyries and Valhalla
• Valkyries are female spirit
warriors who ride the
battlefields and find worthy
slain warriors to take to
Valhalla where they will train
until Ragnarok.
• The northern lights are light
shining off of their shields
• Valhalla is the Hall of the
Slain. It exists in Asgard, and
every night all these heroes
gather together to drink and
make merriment.
Thor
• God of thunder and lightning
• Mjolnir (the destroyer) – an axhammer that can destroy giants and
mountains in a single blow
• Has a chariot pulled by two goats.
He can kill these goats and eat them
and they will come back to life.
• Is constantly fighting the World
Serpent – Jormungand
• He is capable of drinking an ocean
Balder
• “The Beautiful”
and“The Fair”
• All objects on Earth have
sworn not to hurt him
• Primarily known for his death and resurrection – his
death is the first event that leads to Ragnarok
• The favorite child of the Asgardians
Frigga
• Mother Goddess
• Wife of Odin
• Weaves clouds
• She knows events in the present and future, but is
powerless to change them
Loki
• God of mischief and fire
• Trickster - can shape-change and do
magic
• Giants for parents – sometimes he
helps Thor and the other Asgardians,
sometimes he’s their enemy.
• Responsible for Balder’s death and
severely punished for it
• Jormungand (World Serpent), Hel
(Ruler of the Underworld), and Fenrir
(Massive Wolf) are his children
• Will begin Ragnorak
…and he gives birth to an eight-legged horse.
Freyr and Freyja
• Twins
• God and Goddess of
fertility
• Gods who reign in Midgard
(on Earth with mankind)
• She leads the Valkyries, he
has a sword that can fight on
its own.
Heimdall
• “World Brightener”
• God of the dawn
• Great hearing (can hear grass grow) and eyesight
• Is the look out on Bifrost (the rainbow bridge to Asgard)
Hel
• Daughter of Loki
• Giantess
• Goddess of death and the underworld
• Half black/ half white
• Her face and body are human but the
legs are of a corpse
• Spread the plague with a rake or a
broom