Norse Mythology

Prepared by:

Elisa Roxas
 Directions
Arrange the jumbled letters to form the words
related our topic. 
Tomogyhmy
Mythology
Sorne
Norse
Roth
Thor
Kilo
Loki
Garsad
Asgard
Ryt
Tyr
 What is Norse
Mythology?

• Refers to the Scandinavian

mythological framework
that was held up during
and around the time of the
Vikings Age (c. 790 – c.
1100)
 What is Norse
Mythology?
• Norse mythology consists of nine
worlds that all surround a central
cosmological tree, Yggdrasil.
• All beings inhabit these nine circles-
the Viking Gods reside in the
heavenly realm of Asgard, humanity
inhabits Midgard, and the other
worlds are inhabited by beings such
as elves, giants and dwarves.
 Snorri
Sturluson
• Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241) is
the first Icelandic author identified
by name. Probably no other
Icelander has had as much impact
as Snorri on the cultural history of
the Nordic nations.
• His contribution to world
literature has deeply influenced
the Nordic identity, and the effects
of his writing continue to echo
down the ages to our own time.
 Snorri
Sturluson
• The best-known of his writings is
undoubtedly the Prose Edda, in
which he recorded legends and
lore of Norse mythology.
• The Edda is the principal source
for the nature of the pagan
medieval world-view. In addition
to being a poet and historian,
Snorri was also one of Iceland's
most powerful magnates of the
13th century.
The 9 realms
 The 9 realms
• In ancient Norse Mythology and
Cosmology, Yggdrasil is an
immense tree that sprang forth in the
primordial void of Ginnungagap,
unifying the worlds of ASGARD,
ÁLFHEIMR/LJÓSÁLFHEIMR,
NIÐAVELLIR/SVARTÁLFAHEIM
R, MIDGARD (EARTH),
JÖTUNHEIMR/ÚTGARÐR,
VANAHEIM, NIFLHEIM,
MUSPELHEIM & HEL.
 ASGARD
• Asgard is the home of the
Æsir, a ruling class of
deities that includes Odin,
Frigg and Thor.
• Snorri Sturluson writes
that “Asgard is a land
more fertile than any
other, blessed also with a
great abundance of gold
and jewels.”
 ASGARD
• Asgard is also the location
of Valhalla “hall of the
slain”, an enormous
feasting hall ruled over by
Odin. In Valhalla, the dead
join the masses of those
who have died in combat
known as “Einherjar” as
they prepare to aid Odin
during the events of
Ragnarök.
 Álfheim
• Álfheim is loosely translated as “Land of
the Elves” or “Elfland” and as the name
suggests, is home of the Jósálfar light
elves ruled by the Goddess Freya. Text
describing Álfheim is scarce, but the
elves themselves have been mentioned in
poem as more “beautiful than the sun”.
 • Niðavellir translates as “new moon” or “the wane of

Niðavellir
the moon” and is the realm of the Dwarfs, a race of
master smiths and craftsmen who reside underground
working the mines and forges. (Text also associates
the realm to that of the black/dark elves).
 Midgard
• Midgard is a realm inhabited by
a race known as humans,
surrounded by an impassable
ocean encircled by the great sea
serpent Jörmungandr.
• According to the Eddas
(Icelandic literary works),
Midgard will be destroyed at
Ragnarök, the battle at the end
of the world.
 Jötunheimr
• Jötunheimr is the homeland of the Jötnar, the
giants in Norse mythology. In the Eddas the
realm is described as having dark forests and
mountain peaks where winter never eases its
frosty grip. It was here in Jötunheimr that Odin
sacrificed an eye in exchange for wisdom at the
well of Mímisbrunnr.
 Vanaheim
• Little is known about Vanaheim,
other than it is the home of the Vanir,
a group of gods associated with
fertility, wisdom, and the ability to
see the future. After the Æsir–Vanir
War, the Vanir became a subgroup of
the Æsir. Subsequently, members of
the Vanir are sometimes also referred
to as members of the Æsir.
Niflheim
• Niflheim, translated as
“Abode of Mist” or “Mist
World” is a realm of
primordial ice and one of
the first to emanate out of
Ginnungagap in the
creation story of the
Yggdrasil tree. The word
“Niflheim” is only found in
the works of Snorri and in
the Hrafnagaldr Óðins.
Muspelheim
• Muspelheim is a realm of fire
and was the first elemental
world to emanate from the
primordial void of
Ginnungagap. The world is
ruled by Surtr, a jötunn giant
who plays a major role
during the events of
Ragnarök where the flames
that he brings will engulf
Midgard.
 • Hel, also referred to as “Helheim” or “The
Realm of Hel” is an underworld for many of

Helheim
the dead, ruled by the deity “Hel”. Unlike the
Christian form of hell, this Norse underworld
is more a continuation of life elsewhere,
neither a place of eternal bliss nor one of
endless torment.
 Odin
• Odin was the King of Æsir
clan.
• Known as the “the father
of all gods”.
• Often depicted as one-eyed
god and rode an eight-
legged horse called
Sleipnir.
 Odin
• Odin was said to slain the
first being known as
“Ymir” the frost giant
before carving up his body
to help create the Earth.
 Odin
• Odin was one of the most
powerful and revered of all
the Norse gods and
subsequently associated with
several themes including
wisdom, knowledge,
healing, death and war. He
also ruled over the ‘hall of
the slain’ known as Valhalla.
 Frigg
• The wife of Odin.
• Frigg was regarded as
the Queen of the Æsir
gods and therefore
possibly the most
important of all the
Norse goddesses.
 Frigg
• Worshipped as the
goddess of the sky.
• Frigg was associated
with wisdom,
marriage, family and
fertility.
 Bragi
• is the wise and learned bard
• Old Norse poetry from the
Viking Age frequently features
him regaling the einherjar, the
dead who dwell in Valhalla, and
welcoming recently deceased
heroes into their midst.[1] One
Eddic poem depicts him as
having runes carved on his
tongue.
 Vidar
• which might mean “The Wide-
Ruling One
• is one of the younger generation of
gods who survive Ragnarok, the
cataclysmic end of the cosmos in
Norse mythology.
• One of Odin’s Son
 Thor
• He was the god of thunder
and lightning who wielded
the Mjölnir, a devastatingly
powerful hammer that
could slay giants and smash
mountains. He rode a
chariot drawn by two
massive goats called
Tanngniost and
Tanngrisnir.
 Thor
• Although he was the son
of Odin, he was often
regarded as the strongest
of all the Norse deities
since he was tasked with
safeguarding Asgard, the
stronghold of the Æsir.
Loki
• In Norse mythology he
wasn’t the son of Odin
and brother of Thor.
• he was considered a
‘blood brother’ of Odin
who lived amongst the
Æsir.
• His father is the giant
Fárbauti.
Loki
• known as the “trickster
god”, equipped with the
ability to shapeshift into
a multitude of different
forms.
• depicted as more
mischievous than pure
evil, he was still capable
of causing great harm
Children of Loki
 Jörmungand
• One of Loki’s children
through Angerboda.
• called the “Midgard
Serpent,” is a snake or
dragon who lives in the
ocean that surrounds
Midgard, the visible world.
So enormous is he that his
body forms a circle around
the entirety of Midgard.
 Fenrir
• One of Loki’s children
through Angerboda.
• Fearing Fenrir’s strength and
knowing that only evil could
be expected of him, the gods
bound him with a magical
chain made of the sound of a
cat’s footsteps, the beard of a
woman, the breath of fish, and
other occult elements.
 Sleipnir
• One of Loki’s children
through Angerboda.
• is the eight-legged horse of
the god Odin. Sleipnir is one
of Odin’s many shamanic
helping spirits, ranks that
also include the valkyries
and Hugin and Munin, and
he can probably be
classified as a fylgja.
Hel
• The daughter of Loki,
Hel presided over the
Norse underworld, a
place where all those
Vikings who didn’t die
in battle went.
• Half of her body was
flesh and blood, the
other half was just bones
Hel
• Her decaying features
befitted a goddess who
ruled over the land of
the dead, judging and
deciding the fate of the
souls who entered her
realm.
 Njord
• The Norse god of wind and
waters, Njord was the patron
of sailors and fishermen; he
also brought wealth to the just
and deserving.
• As patriarch of the Vanir
deities, Njord led his tribe
against the Aesir gods during
the Aesir-Vanir War.
 Njord
• Njord was a popular
god among the Norse,
and seafarers in
particular. Those who
worshiped him did so
in hopes of receiving
bounty from the seas.
 Freya
• Freya was the goddess
of fate, love, beauty,
gold, war and fertility.
• She was a member of
the Vanir and ruled
over the heavenly
meadow of Fólkvangr.
 Freya
• She practised Seidr, a
form of magic that gifted
her with the ability to
control and manipulate
the desires and
prosperity of others. Her
association with fate and
destiny made her one of
the most powerful Norse
goddesses.
 Freyr
• god who belongs to the
Vanir tribe of deities. He’s
also an honorary member
of the other tribe of Norse
gods, the Aesir, having
arrived in their fortress,
Asgard, as a hostage at the
closing of the Aesir-Vanir
War.
 Freyr
• Norse poem calls him “the
foremost of the gods” and
“hated by none.”
• The reasons for this aren’t hard
to understand; their well-being
and prosperity depended on his
benevolence, which particularly
manifested itself in sexual and
ecological fertility, bountiful
harvests, wealth, and peace.
 Freyr
• His role in providing health
and abundance was often
symbolized by his fylgja, the
boar Gullinborsti (“Golden-
Bristled”), and by his
enormous, erect phallus.
 Freyr
• His father is Njord, and his
mother is Njord’s unnamed
sister[6] (presumably
Nerthus). Freyr himself has
been the lover of numerous
goddesses and giantesses,
including his own sister,
Freya.
 Freyr
• Apparently, incest is a
common and acceptable
practice among the Vanir
(although amongst the
historical Germanic peoples
it certainly wasn’t).
 Baldur
• Another son of Odin and
half-brother to Thor.
• Balder was the god of
light and purity.
• He was described as a
fair, kind and handsome
god, whose beauty was
unparalleled.
 Baldur
• Often praised by others
for his mercifulness,
Balder was the epitome
of all things wise and
good.
 Balder
• However, he is most famous
for his demise. Although it
was believed he was
immortal, he had been
prophesied to die. To prevent
this from happening his
mother Frigg visited every
entity in the cosmos to secure
an oath from them that they
wouldn't harm her son.
 Hod
• The blind god Höd
• The blind son of
Odin and Frigg and
twin brother of
Baldur
• associated with night
and darkness
 Hod
• deceived by the evil Loki,
killed Balder by hurling
mistletoe, the only thing that
could hurt him.
• After Baldur’s funeral, the
giantess Thökk, probably Loki
in disguise, refused to weep
the tears that would release
Balder from death.
 Heimdall
• one of the Aesir gods and the
ever-vigilant guardian of the
gods’ stronghold, Asgard.
• His dwelling is called
Himinbjörg (“Sky Cliffs,”
connoting a high place ideal
for a fortress), which sits at
the top of Bifrost, the rainbow
bridge that leads to Asgard.
He requires less sleep than a
bird.
 Heimdall
• His eyesight is so keen that he
can see for hundreds of miles by
day or by night, and his hearing
is so acute that he can hear grass
growing on the ground and wool
growing on sheep.
• Here he watches and listens,
holding at the ready the horn
Gjallarhorn (“Resounding
Horn”), which he sounds when
intruders are approaching.
 Tyr
• The god of war, presides
over matters of law and
justice.
• Tyr’s role as one of the
principal war gods of the
Norse, along with Odin and
Thor, is well-attested in
sources from the Viking
Age and earlier.
 Questions
1. The home of the Æsir, a ruling class of deities
that includes Odin, Frigg and Thor.
2. Refers to the Scandinavian mythological
framework that was held up during and around
the time of the Vikings Age
3. He is the first Icelandic author identified by
name.
 Questions
4. This is where the legends and lore of Norse
Mythology are recorded
5. The strongest of all the Norse deities since he
was tasked with safeguarding Asgard
 Answers
1. Asgard
2. Norse Mythology
3. Snorri Sturluson
4. Prose Edda
5. Thor