NORSE MYTHOLOGY
The Norse Universe:
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Asgard- home of gods, goddesses
Midgard: home of people, dwarfs, giants
Niflheim- home of the dead
Two main god types:
 "Aesir"- gods, goddesses, they look after humans
 "Vanir"- gods, goddesses look after Nature
Main Norse Gods and Goddesses:
 Odin -two ravens - thought, memory
 -Odin only eats "meade"
 -pet wolves ate his table food
 -Ravens and wolves- his battle attendants
AESIR
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Aesir family of Gods, Goddesses:
Odin- Main god
-has 3 palaces in AsgardFrigg- his wife
-looks over marriage
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Honir- his brother- shining God
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Thor- Odin's son- God of Thunder- friend to poor humans
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Tyr- God of war
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Balder and Hod- twin sons of Odin and Frigg
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-Balder- God of sunlight, handsome
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-Hod- God of hours of darkness, blind
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Hermod- Odin's messenger
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Heimdall- watchman guard over the bridge between Asgard and
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the world.
Loki- red haired, crafty- can change shapes, God of the fire (hearth)
good, nice when wants to be, but can be a merciless destroyer
*Loki and Odin swore a pact of brotherhood to each other
ASGARD- HOME OF THE AESIR GODS
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The home of the gods, one of
the nine worlds of Norse
mythology. Asgard was the
topmost level of the nine
worlds. The Æsir gods and
goddesses had their
mansions and palaces here.
Asgard was connected to
Midgard by the rainbow
bridge, Bifrost. The red ark
in the rainbow is actually
burning fire so to make the
bridge impassable to
mountain giants and frost
giants. Most of the major
gods or Æsir have their own
halls in Asgard.
Asgard is surrounded by a
huge strong wall built by a
giant.
VALHALL
Valhall- main palace is in grove of trees that had
golden leaves, 540 doors,
 walls made of spears, roof of shields,
 *dead warriors slain in battle came here
 feasts, stories about battles
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Niflheim- world of the dead (place for non-heroes)
YGGRASILL-THE GREAT TREE
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Yggdrasill..... in Norse
mythology, the great tree
of the world. Its branches
and roots extended
through all the universe—
the heavens, the earth,
and the underworld.
At its top sat an eagle, at
its bottom twined a
serpent, and between them
ran a squirrel breeding
discord.
It was prophesied that at
the doom of the gods the
tree would be destroyed.
HEIMDALL- GUARDIAN OF THE BRIDGE
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Heimdall is the guardian
of the gods who will blow
the Gjallarhorn if danger
approaches Asgard.
His senses are so acute
that he can hear the grass
grow and he can see to the
end of the world; he can
hear a leaf fall; he also
requires no sleep at all.
He is moreover the
guardian of the Bifrost
Bridge, a rainbrow bridge
that leads to Asgard
ODIN- GOD OF WAR, DEATH, POETRY, WISDOM
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Odin is a god of war and death, but
also the god of poetry and wisdom.
He once hung for nine days, pierced
by his own spear, on the world tree.
Here he learned nine powerful
songs, and eighteen runes.
Odin can make the dead speak to
question the wisest amongst them.
His hall in Asgard is Valaskjalf
("shelf of the slain") where his
throne Hlidskjalf is located.
From this throne he observes all
that happens in the nine worlds.
Odin has only one eye, which blazes
like the sun. His other eye he
traded for a drink from the Well of
Wisdom, and gained immense
knowledge.
On the day of the final battle, Odin
will be killed by the wolf Fenrir.
FRIGG- GODDESS OF THE SKY
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Frigg was said to be
"foremost among the
goddesses," the wife of
Odin, queen of the
Æsir, and goddess of the
sky, marriage,
motherhood,
Frigg has the power of
prophecy although she
does not tell what she
knows, and is the only
one other than Odin
who is permitted to sit
on his high seat
VALKYRIES
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valkyries, are minor
female deities, who served
Odin.
*purpose =choose the most
heroic of those who had
died in battle and to carry
them off to Valhalla.
Necessary because Odin
needs warriors to fight at
his side at the preordained
battle at the end of the
world, Ragnarök.
In Valhalla the valkyries
also "serve drink and look
after the tableware and
drinking vessels" (Prose
Edda Gylfaginning 35).
LOKI- TRICKSTER, MASTER OF DECEIT
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Loki =son of giants and
foster brother of Óðin. He is
a trickster, a shape-changer,
and the master of lies and
deceit.
Father of three monsters:
1- the wolf Fenrir, who will
swallow Óðin at
Ragnarök;
2- Jörmangandr, who will
drown Þór in venom at
Ragnarök;
3- Hel who rules over the
hall of the dead in Niflheim,
-whose hospitality includes
offering visitors drinking
horns full of urine.
THOR- GOD OF THE WISE, FARMERS-STRENGTH AND HAMMER
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Thor is the son of Odin and
husband to Sif. His palace is the
largest house known to man, with
640 floors.
Thor is probably the best known of
the Norse Gods.
A simple God, the patron of farmers
and other folk who are "wise, but
not too wise”
Thor is best known for wandering
the world in search of adventure;
usually found in the form of giants
or other monsters to kill.
He possesses tremendous strength
and the hammer Mjolnir, which was
made for him by the Dwarfs.
Thor is associated with thunder
and lightning,
He is not the God of destructive
storms, thunder and lightning were
associated with the summer storms
that brought swift crop growth.
FREYA- FERTILITY, LOVE, BEAUTY
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, Freya is a goddess of
love and fertility, and
the most beautiful of the
goddesses. She is the
patron goddess of crops
and birth, and was
called upon in matters
of love.
While she is a Goddess
of beauty, she is not
dependent on men as is
the stereotype of so
many love Goddesses,
but is strong and
fiercely independent.
TYRGod of battle, of
justice, and second to
Odin of Kingship.
 Tyr shows both his
bravery and honor.
 He gave his hand as
promised to the
Fenris Wolf that no
trickery was involved
in the Gods binding of
him.
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MYTH QUESTIONS
When you read the
myths always write
down the main plot
 Do you know what
happened?
 Do you know what the
myth is suppose to
teach or relate ?
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THE FENRIS WOLF- THE MYTH
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Fenris wolf- the child of
LokiLives in Asgard but must
be tied up- why?
Why is the silken chain
effective?
Why does Tyr volunteer?
Why does he lose his right
hand? Why not the left
hand?
What message does the
myth give the reader?
TYR AND THE IDEA OF HONOR IN “THE
FENRIS WOLF”
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The honor and reliance
on ones word is often
overlooked in this myth.
In many myths various
deals are made and the
Aesir easily get out of
them.
It's likely that Tyr could
have escaped his fate as
well, but one's word is
one's word and thus Tyr
lost his hand because it
was less valuable to him
than his honor and
word.
READER’S RESPONSE TO FENRIS WOLF
Relate what honor
means to you.
 Is it important for you
to keep your word?
 Can you remember a
time when you
promised but then did
not keep your word to
someone?
 Does this myth help
you look at honor
differently now?
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JOTAR- THE GIANTS- ENEMIES OF THE
GODS
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The Jotnar or giants
are the sworn enemies
of the Gods.
The Jotnar represent
chaos and the power of
nature to destroy man
and act independent of
humankind.
In the end, it is the
Jotnar who will fight
the Gods at Ragnarok
and bring about the
destruction of the world
JOTNAR- THE DESTRUCTIVE GODS
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The Vanir are the
Gods of the growing
crops, the Jotnar are
the Gods of the river
which floods and
washes away those
crops or the tornado
which destroys your
entire farm. This is
why they are
frightening and this is
why they are thought
to be evil.
HOW THOR FOUND HIS HAMMER
-THE MYTH
What two characters
are disguised? Why
are they disguised?
 Who steals the
hammer and why?
 What is Loki like in
this myth?
 How are the Frost
Giants shown in this
myth- what are they
like?
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Thor dressed as a bride
THOR AND THE GIANT KING
What are the three
tests that Thor fails?
 How are Loki, Thor
and Thjalfe tricked by
Utgard-Loke?
 Why does Thor’s
hammer not work well
in this myth?
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AFTER THE DEATH OF BALDER- LOKI
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Loki caused the death of Balder, wisest
of the gods. As punishment, Loki now
lies in a cave, bound to a rock by the
entrails of his sons.
A snake fastened to a stalactite above
him drips venom into his face. Loki's
faithful wife Sigyn catches the venom in
a bowl, protecting Loki from harm.
When the bowl fills, she carries it away
and empties it into a rock basin in the
cave. During those moments, Loki is left
unguarded, and the snake's venom
splashes in his face.
In torment, he shudders and writhes.
This is the cause of earthquakes.
Loki will remain bound in the cave until
Ragnarök, when he will lead the
monsters and the giants into battle
against the gods.
THE END OF ALL THINGS- QUIZ
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What happens to the
sun, and moon in the
last battle?
How will the earth be
destroyed?
Which Gods come back
to life later?
List two specific natural
disasters that will tell of
the coming end?
How will this battle
actually prove to be a
“good” thing ?
THE BAD AND THE GOOD
Skoll
 Hati
 Midgaard Serpent
 Fenris Wolf
 Loki
 Surt
 Hel
 Garm
 Frost and Storm
giants
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-Tyr vs Garm
-Frey vs Surt
-Heimdall vs Loki
-Odin vs Fenris
-Vidar vs Fenris
-Muspellheim fire
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Lifthrasir and Lif
Vidar and Vali
Balder and Hod