Report in edseng 12

ICCT COLLEGES FOUNDATION INC. 6-7/MWF/E38/EDSENG12
GERMANIC AND SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY (Group IV) Mr. MARC KENNETH L. MARQUEZ
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GERMANIC MYTHOLOGY is a comprehensive term for myths associated with historical Germanic paganism, including Norse
mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, Continental Germanic mythology, and other versions of the mythologies of the Germanic
peoples. Germanic mythology ultimately derives from Indo-European mythology, also known as Indo-Germanic mythology.
THE GERMANIC MYTH OF CREATION
In the beginning nothing existed except for Ginnungagap. Neither sand, sea, heaven or earth had been created. After a
long span of time, a new realm emanated in the south called Muspell. It was made of fire, glowing embers, and scorching heat.
In the north a second region sprang forth called Niflheim. It consisted of bitter winds, and of freezing ice and
snow.Ginnungagap was situated between these two realms, and the waters from the eleven rivers of Hvergelmir flowed here.
In the middle of the void all was mild, until one day the elements of fire and ice collided. In the north Niflheim's cold breeze
began to freeze the void, while the southern part was thawed by the warmth emanating from Muspell. All was disorder. Life
emerged from the drops of this great chaos in the shape of a giant. His name was Ymir and the frost giants are his descendants.
While Ymir was asleep, the first man and woman were born from the sweat of his left armpit, and his legs gave birth to a son.
Meanwhile, the ice on Ginnungagap continued to melt, until Audumbla the cow emerged.She fed the giant Ymir with her four
teats. She sustained herself by licking the ice. As Audumbla licked the salty ice blocks for three consecutive nights, another
being appeared, named Buri. Buri's son Bor married Bestla. They had three sons, Odin,Vili, and Ve.
THE GERMANIC COSMOGRAPHY
Yggdrasil is the world tree in Germanic mythology
The Nordic cosmographical world is divided into three trisentric levels with a space separating each plate
1. In the first level of the world there is Asgard, Vanaheim, and Alfheim
2. The second level contains Midgard, Jotunheim, Nidavellir, and Svartalfheim
3. The third houses Hel and Nifelheim.
The world tree is rooted in the realm of the Aesir, the realm of the frost giants, and the realm of the dead. The tree is
subject to constant death and renewal. A dragon named Nidhogg gnaws at the roots and a squirrel called Ratatosk on
the branches. Deer graze off the tree and leap on it. An eagle sits on top of the world tree stirring up the winds of the
world with its wings. The squirrel runs up and down the tree delivering vindictive messages between the eagle and
Nidhogg.
THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS
The end of the world will be preceded by the axe-age and the sword-age. Weapons will be wielded and destroyed;
following it is a wind-age and a wolf-age before the inevitable doom of Ragnarok. Winter will take its toll for three consecutive
years without the summer interfering to bring its people mercy. Three other winters will make its presence known. Midgard will
be at war during this time. Father and son will engage in battle against one another. Siblings will partake in incestuous acts.
Mothers will abandon their husbands and seduce their own sons; while brothers rip at each others' hearts.
The wolves Skoll and Hati Hrodvitnisson will swallow the sun and the moon, bringing total darkness into the world. The
starry heavens will fall, the earth will tremble; mountains and trees will crumble to the ground. Monsters will break free from
the fetters that bind them; and the wild hunt will begin. The Fenrir wolf will run loose dragging its jaws upon the earth and the
heavens above. The Midgard serpent will revolt and cause the waters to overflow the shores. It will spew its deadly venom in
the world around him.
In the north the Naglfar ship will be set free from its chains steered by Hymr. He will be accompanied by a crew of
giants.
Loki will escape his bonds and sail northbound on a ship bearing the sons of Hel. In the south, Surt, the keeper of
Muspell, will ride across Bifrost until it crumbles beneath him.
The horns of Heimdall will ring across the nine worlds warning the gods of the danger ahead. The Yggdrasil tree will
tremble. A man and a woman will seek shelter under its quivering leaves as the earth beneath them quakes at the sound of war.
Soon after, Odin will ride away on his horse Sleipnir to consult the head of Mimir for advice on the course of action to be taken.
The warriors in Valhalla will be sent to the plane of Vigrid with Odin as their leader. Odin will charge against the Fenrir wolf, but
All-father will fall prey to the creature's deadly jaws and be swallowed. Odin's son Vidar will courageously avenge his father's
death by stepping on Fenrir's jaw with his foot. (He wears a special shoe made of pieces of leather that have been offered to the
gods). Vidar will snatch the upper jaw of the wolf and tear it asunder.
Thor will battle against the Midgard serpent and successfully slay it. He will take nine steps back and die from the
poisonous fumes the serpent spews forth.
The god Frey will fight against the guardian of Muspell. He will fall victim to the giant Surt since he has given away his
sword to his messenger Skirnir. Tyr, the god of war, will attack the hound of Hel, Garm, while Loki and Heimdall engage in
combat and die by each other's hand.
The nine worlds under the Yggdrasil tree will become a blazing inferno. All the gods of the Aesir and Vanir will die, as
well as the inhabitants of all the realms that lie beneath the great Ash tree. The sky will fall into a pit of flame and the earth will
sink into the sea.
The Germanic Gods
Aegir ("AY-ear"): the Norse sea god, master brewer of storms, and husband to Ran, with whom he had nine daughters
who personify as waves. Similar to the Greek Poseidon.
Aesir (Icelandic "AY-seer," Swedish "ASS-seer"; singular "Asa"): the chief Norse gods. Similar to the Olympians of Greek
myth. More associated with the skyward spirit than the earthy Vanir. The word means "pillars."
Alfar ("OWL-var") : male ancestors. See Disir.
Alfheim: world of the elves.

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Alvis ("All-Knowing"): clever dwarf outsmarted by Thor in a verbal contest for the hand of Thor's daughter Thruth
("Might"). The contest lasted so long that the sun came up and turned the would-be groom to stone.
Andhrimnir: the cook for the warriors in Valhalla. His name means "soot in the face." The pot he uses is named
Eldhrimnir.
Andvaranaut: a magic ring named after the shape-shifting dwarf Andvari ("Andvari's Gift") and forged by Volund. When
Loki stole it to pay a ransom, Andvari cursed it to bring trouble on whomever possessed it. This ring played a key role in
Wagner's work and in Tolkein's.
Angurboda: giant lover of Loki. Her name means "Herald of Sorrow." Their children were the wolf Fenris, the serpent
Jormungand, and Hel. The gods took them away from her.
Ari: an underworld giant eagle who scares the dead in Niflheim.
Asgard: the stronghold-world of the gods. It includes Alfheim, where the light elves live, and Vanaheim, where the Vanir
live. Asgard is surrounded by a wall built by a giant mason tricked by Loki, who changed into a mare to lure away his
stallion so he couldn't finish by winter's end.
Audhumla (Icelandic "oy-THIM-lah," Swedish "audth-HUM-blah"): a cow formed by the convergence of the ten primal
rivers in Niflheim. Her milk fed the giant Ymir. From these two ramified all of existence.
Baldur: bright and wise son of Frigga and Odin, master of the hall Breidablik ("Broad Splendor"), killed by a mistletoe
arrow and resurrected. Loki tricked the blind god Hodor into firing it
Bergelmir: the father of all the giants.
Berserkers ("bearshirts"): warriors who in some stories could turn themselves into dangerous bears. (The bear was so
highly prized in Finnish lore that it could not be named.).
Bestla: frost giant mother of Odin and his brothers. Her mate was Bor, son of Buri.
Bifrost ("BAY-vrurst": "Trembling Roadway") : the flaming, three-strand rainbow bridge that joins Asgard to Midgard
and keeps away giants until it breaks under Surt's legions at Ragnarok.
Blot ("bloat"): an animal sacrifice ritual to honor ("To Strengthen") the gods.
Bragi ("BRAH-yee"): eloquent god of poetry ("bragr") and husband of Idunna. Unlike clean-shaven Apollo, Bragi wears
a long beard. Often shown with a harp. Patron of minstrels. Loki began with him in an incident where the trickster
hurled insults at the assembled Aesir during a lengthy bout of self-congratulating.
Brunhild ("Mailed Warrior"): a shape-shifting Valkarie who fell in love with the hero Sigurd and burned herself to death
when he died of treachery.
Buri ("BOO-ree"): son of Audhumla, the primal cow who licked him into life from salty rocks. Grandfather of Odin and
father of Bor.
Disir ("DEE-seer"; singular "dis"): female ancestors. See Alfar.
Draugr (plural "draugar"): a powerful undead zombie. Runes were sometimes inscribed on tombstones to keep the
undead from rising. The haugbui was a draugr who stayed put but attacked anyone who trespassed near the grave site.
Draupnir: "Dropper," the magic gold bracelet of Odin that creates eight new rings of gold every ninth night.
Dwarves: underground beings associated with craftsmanship. They sprung like maggots from Ymir's body, and many
live in Nidavellir ("Dark Fields") below ground. The cardinal directions were sky-supporting dwarves named Austri
(East), Sudri (South), Vestri (West), and Nordri (North). Dwarves supplied the magical instruments and weapons of the
gods.
Eddas: the collections of stories and poems that constitute the primary early record of Norse and Icelandic mythology..
Einherjar ("EIN-her-yar"): collective name for the dead warriors gathered in Valhalla. They go out into the couryard and
battle by day, recover, and feast in the hall at night.
Eir: a goddess of healing. Compare with the Greek Hygeia.
Elivagar ("Stormy Waves"): the eleven rivers whose dripping venom gave the first giants their fierceness through Ymir.
Snorri links them to the Milky Way.
Elves: youthful beings living in forests and near springs. They look like humans and sometimes crossbred. Dark elves
were thought to cause diseases. They live in Svartalfheim ("Land of Dark Elves"), whereas bright elves live in Alfheim
and Vidblain in heaven.
Eostre, Ostara ("East Shining"): Saxon goddess of springtime and rabbits. Celebrated at the spring equinox, her name
gave itself to April. Compare with the Roman goddess Aurora and the Greek Eos.
Etins: giants friendly to the gods, unlike the Jotuns, who aren't.
Fafnir: a gold-hoarding dragon killed by the hero Sigurd.
Faining: a god-honoring ritual that does not involve animal sacrifice.
Fensalir: the "Sea Halls" of Frigga in Asgard.
Fenris, Fenrir: the wolf son of Loki bound by the gods with Tyr's help and sacrifice. He will eat Odin at Ragnarok and be
slain by Odin's son Vidar. His slaver forms the river Van ("Hope" or "Expectation").
Folde: Anglo-Saxon goddess of Earth. Also called Fira Modor ("Mother of Men").
Forseti: god of law and justice and overseer of civic assemblies. A son of Baldur, he lives in the silver and golden hall
Glitnir ("Shining"). An old story tells that he brought a spring from the earth while giving law to the Frisians.
Freya: golden-haired "Lady" and goddess of love and beauty. Compare with Aphrodite and Venus. Freya's chariot,
drawn by cats, bears comparison with Aphrodite's (called Pothos, the fantasy component of love), and she sometimes
takes the form of a dove. Both goddesses are connected to sea swells. Freya's fire-jewel necklace Brisingamen ("Fiery
Belt") was forged by four dwarves after she spent one night with each. She has eight sisters and a coat that turns the
wearer into a falcon. Her hall is Sessrumnir ("Rich in Seats") at Folkvang, the Field of Warriors, where half the slain in
battle go. Her disguised lover Hildisvini's name means "Battle Boar"; his human name is Ottar. She taught magic
(divinatory witchcraft: see "Seidr" below) to other goddesses and gods. When she cries her tears make red gold. Her
daughter with lost Od is Hnoss ("Treasure"). She was one of the Vanir sent to the Aesir to bring peace to both. She can

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be thought of as the archetypal principle that attracts every opposite, from the cohesion of matter to the gravity
between galaxies. Through her intercourse became sacred and healing and ceremonial.
Freyr (Icelandic: pronounce the final "r"): Vanir "Lord" of the elves, husband of the giant Gerd ("Enclosure" or "Field"),
and brother of Freya. A god of peace and lusty pleasure and good crops. He sails in the foldable portable ship
Skidbladnir ("Wooden-Bladed") and rides the luminously golden boar Gullinbursti ("Golden Bristles"). His magic sword
wielded itself until he gave it away to marry Gerd, so he killed the giant Beli with an antler. Brings happiness and is kind
to women but is prone to depression. He resembles a mixture of Saturn and Dionysus, with Gerd an echo of Arachne.
The legendary Danish king Frodi might be a byform of Freyr. The Anglo-Saxons called him Ing. His messenger is Skirnir
("Bright One").
Frigga ("FREE-yuh"): the Allmother of the Norse and wife of Odin. Goddess of peacemaking, weaving the threads of
cosmic order, and holding and keeping political and domestic power. She knows everyone's fate but does not speak it.
Her name means "Spinner." Compare with Hera or Juno or the Celtic Morrigan. Her handmaids were Fulla, Gna, and Lin.
Friday was considered a good day to get married because it was named after her (for the Germanics, Frija's Day).
Frith: peaceful accord. Arranging a peace is "frith-weaving."
Fulla, Volla: long-haired virgin sister of Frigga and guardian of her treasure. Her name means "Bounty."
Fylgja ("FEEL-gyah"; plural "Fylgjur"): a part of the soul that sometimes shows up as an animal and can live outside the
body. The form it takes depends on the inner character of the person it visits. The word means "she who follows."
Garm: the underworld hound of Hel. He is chained in Gnipahellir, the cave entrance of Niflheim, and will die with Tyr at
Ragnarok. Similar to Cerberus.
Gefion ("GEF-yon": "She Who Gives"): Vanir crop and field goddess. Compare Demeter/Ceres. When King Gylfi of
Sweden mocked the apparently homeless woman before him by giving her all of Zealand she could plow, she turned
her giant-sired sons into oxen and plowed the entire expanse. She overlooks agriculture, acquisition, and material
wealth. Women who die as virgins accompany her.
Geirröth: the king who unwittingly bound Odin between two fires (he had thought him a common wanderer whom his
dogs refused to attack) to torture him for eight nights. His ten-year-old son Agnar was kind to the disguised god and
gave him a horn to drink from. When the king realizes his mistake he falls on his sword. Odin teaches his son sacred
lore.
Gimli: the gold-roofed hall where the new gods will live after Ragnarok.
Ginungagap: the creative void or chasm from which all things emanated. Within it lie a realm of fire (Muspelheim) and a
world of ice (Niflheim) that contained Hvergelmir, the well from which flowed the primal rivers. When the worlds
collided into a big bang, the giant Ymir came to be.
Gladsheim ("Place of Joy"): a pleasant dwelling on the plain of Ida and largest building in existence. The twelve gods
had seats of honor there.
Gna: messenger of Frigga whose name means "rise high," which she does on the backof Hofvarpnir ("hoof-thrower").
Her name shares roots with "looming."
Grid: the female giant who who loans Thor her staff, iron gloves,and belt of strength so he can kill the giant Geirrod and
his two daughters.
Gullinkambi ("Golden Comb"): the cock that awakens the Einherjar warriors of Valhalla to Ragnarok. The cock Fjalar
awakens the Giants.
Gullveig ("Gold Might"): the Vanic goddess and seeress whose triple burning by the Aesir offended the Vanir; Odin's
casting a spear over their ranks precipitated the war. Gullveig's name might indicate a reason for the burning, but the
Aesir might also have feared her powerful magic. She was banished to Ironwood until Ragnarok. Some think her a
byform of Freya.
Hamingja: luck, partly inherited from the ancestors and partly modifiable through one's actions.
Heimdal ("HAME-dall," meaning, "One Who Illuminates the World"): the watchful gold-toothed guardian of the
rainbow bridge Bifrost. His hall is Himinbjorg ("Heaven's Cliffs") at the end of the bridge Bifrost; his horse is Golltopp
("Gold-Topped"). It is said he gave an ear to Mimir's well to obtain his otherworldly powers of hearing. He successfully
fought Loki to regain Freya's necklace after both of them had shapeshifted into seals. His horn Gjall ("Ringing Horn")
will announce the final war of Ragnarok, where he and Loki will kill each other. Heimdall's counterpart watchman
among the giants is Eggther. Cf. the Greek Argus, who also tangled with a trickster, and shapeshifting Proteus,
foreteller of events and guardian of seals.
Hel: the giant goddess of the underworld. She is half black and half white and lives in the hall Eliudnir ("Sprayed with
Snowstorms") in Helheim, where she is served by male Ganglati ("Tardy") and female Ganglot ("Tardy"). According to
Snorri "her dish is Hunger, her knife is Famine, her slave is Lazy, and Slothful is her woman servant." Her bed is named
Sick Bed, and her bed curtains Gleaming Disaster. Compare Persephone.
Helheim: the world of the dead.
Hermod: Asa messenger of the gods. His name means "Fast." It was he who rode Sleipnir to the underworld--leaping
over its gate Helgrind--to unsuccessfully plead Hel for Baldur's return. Only the giant Thokk ("Gratitude": Loki in
disguise) would not weep for him. Compare Hermes.
Hlin ("Protectress"): she defends and looks after humans liked by Frigga.
Howe: a burial mound. Gateway to the underworld. In Norse and Germanic myth the dead go to one of several places,
including the hall of the deity they revered while alive. Kings and poets sometimes sat on the mounds of their dead
ancestors for inspiration or dreams.
Hrede: "The Glorious" or "The Victorious" Anglo-Saxon goddess of the chill that falls before spring.
Hreidmar: the farmer whose son Otter was killed by Loki. He trapped Loki, Odin, and Hoenir with magic and demanded
a ransom of red gold, which they paid with wealth tricked out of the dwarf Andvari by Loki.
Hrimfaxi ("Frost-Maned"): the horse of Night (Not), which she rides around the world. The horse of Day (Dag, son of
Not and Dogling ("Son of the Dew") is Skinfaxi ("Shining-Maned").

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Hrungnir: a mountain-sized giant who lost a horse race to Odin and got drunk in Valhalla afterward. He was armed with
a magical whetstone that splintered into chunks that buried themselves all over the world for later use by those who
seek sharp blades (or sharp minds). Thor cured him of taking Freya for a serving wench by smashing his head.
Huginn ("HYUG-in"): the raven Thought who scouts things out for Odin.
Hugr: soul. The soul was seen as a polycentered, deathless core of selfhood.
Humans: fashioned from an ash and an elm standing on a shoreline into a man (Askr) and woman (Embla) by Odin, who
gave breath and soul, silent Hoenir, who gave intelligence, and Lodur, who bestowed senses and form.
Hymir: a giant foolish enough to go fishing with Thor, who was eager for a look at the World Serpent, and still more
foolish enough not to share any fishing bait. Thor found his own by ripping the head off Hymir's ox Himinhrjot.
Hyrrokkin: the giant who freed Baldur's stuck boat to carry his dead body out to sea. Four berserkers could not budge
it, so the Aesir called for her and she came riding a wolf with a poisonous snake for reins.
Icelandic Sagas: seven hundred prose narratives written down during the thirteenth century by various anonymous
authors. Iceland represented a remarkable nexus for Norse and Germanic myth and skaldic poetry from 1000 AD
onward.
Innangaro: a sacred social enclosure guarding against the forces of utgaro (destruction). A cultural temenos.
Idunn ("ee-DOO-nuh"): goddess of youth and health, which she bestows on the gods with her apples of immortality
kept in a wooden box. Her name means "The Renewer." Loki delivered her to the giant Thjiazi but rescued her again.
She is the wife of Bragi. Her Greek counterpart is Hebe the youth goddess.
Iku-turso: an evil Finnish sea monster.
Illmarinen: the Finnish god-smith who forged the dome of heaven and the mysterious Sampo, a kind of horn of plenty.
Similar to the Greek Hephaestos and the Roman Vulcan.
Iving: a river that never ices over and marks a boundary between Asgard and the realm of the giants.
Jarnvid: "Ironwood," a land east of Midgard where trolls live.
Jord: Earth, daughter of Night, and mother of Thor. The Norse version of Gaia or Terra. Invoked by women in labor.
Jormungand ("YOR-mun-gand"): the enormous, tail-biting serpent of Midgard. Odin imprisoned it in the sea to get rid
of it, but it grew until it embraced all of earth. At Ragnarok it will poison Thor and pollute the sky.
Jötnar ("yötnar"; singular "jötunn): giants. Also called risar (singular "risi"). Those inhabiting icy Niflheim were known as
frost giants. Fire giants inhabit Muspelheim.
Jötunheim ("YUR-tun-hame"): the world of the giants. It contains their citadel Utgard and lies somewhere near
Midgard, the world of humans.
Kvasir: a wise Vanir formed from the divine spit of the Aesir and Vanir. After two dwarves killed him the mead of poetry
was decanted from his blood into the cauldron Odrorir ("Heart-Stirrer") and later stolen by Odin.
Kennings: the naming of people and things with poetic metaphors like "Freya's tears" (gold) and "horse of sea" (ship).
Kennings avoided the dull and literal, demonstrated poetic skill, drew on a shared cultural history, exercised the
imagination, and kept the images fresh through renewing them with words.
Kobold: a troublesome German sprite or goblin. Some haunt mines or caves.
Lightalfheim: the world of light elves.
Lintukoto: the edge of the world in Finnish mythology. The name means "Home of the Birds."
Lofn ("Comforter"): a giver of hope, she also helps people marry. She and Sjöfn and Snotra bear comparison with the
Graces.
Loki: the Trickster god, mother of Odin's horse Sleipnir, and blood brother of Odin. Loki's persuasion after cutting off
Sif's hair (to imply promiscuity) resulted in new hair woven of gold, the hammer Mjollnir given to Thor, Odin's deep-
piercing spear Gungnir, and Loki's shoes of flight. A trick of his resulted in Baldur's death and resulting survival after
Ragnarok. Compare Hermes, Mercury, Prometheus. Loki means "fire." For insulting the Aesir he is bound to three
stones by the entrails of his dead son Narfi until Ragnarok. He is disorder personified and shows up whenever things
get too ponderous or routine.
Maegen ("MAYG-in"): the vitality aspect of soul. Similar to the Asian "chi" or "ki."
Magni ("Might"): strong son of Thor who with his brother Modi ("Wrath") will receive Thor's hammer after their father
dies at Ragnarok.
Mani: the moon god whose chariot is driven by the horse Alsvid ("Very Strong"). A girl (Bil) and boy (Hjuki) go with him.
Merkstave: when a rune drawn for a reading comes up reversed, resulting in a reversal of its meaning. Literally means
"dark stick."
Midgard: the world of humans. "Middle Earth."
Mimir ("Remembrer"): god whose head guards the well of wisdom at the base of Yggrasil the World Tree. Possibly
uncle to Odin, who gave an eye for a drink. Displeased with Hoenir's silence, the Vanir beheaded Mimir and sent him
back to the Aesir, but the peace worked out anyway.
Mjölnir ("MULE-near"): the hammer of Thor, which he needs a metal glove to wield. The dwarves Brokk and Eitri made
it. When he throws it the hammer hits its target and comes back into his hand. The word means "masher" and is linked
to "milling." The tendency of this flying grindstone to give off lightning also makes it a sort of portable thunderbolt.
Lapp shamans struck their drums with hammers that resembled Thor's.
Mundilferi: father of the sun and moon. His name might mean "The Turner."
Muninn: Odin's raven Memory. Given the distortions and gaps of Norse mythology, Odin may have been right to fear
losing Memory more than Thought (symbolized by the raven Huginn).
Nanna: wife of Baldur, who threw herself on his funeral pyre in grief as he burned on his ship Ringhorn.
Nehellenia: Dutch goddess comparable to Isis and Demeter; her name might mean "Helpful Coming Close."
Nerthus: Danish goddess of Earth. Similar to the Greek Gaia and the Roman Terra.

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Nidhogg: the old dragon who chews on the root of the World Tree. His name means "Dread Biter."
Niflheim ("Misty Hel"): a realm of darkness under one root of the World Tree. At Nastrond ("Shore of Corpses"), the
dragon Nidhogg chews on those who were evil in life.
Nine: a key number in Norse myth. Nine worlds, Odin's three triangles and nine magic songs, Heimdall's nine mothers,
Hermod's nine-day journey to the underworld, etc. In alchemy the Third referred to a unifying or synthesizing substance
derived by combining two others (a duality). In many mythologies nine (three threes) represents the culmination of a
cycle.
Njord ("NEEORD"): father of Freya and Freyr and god of ships and trade who lives in Noatun ("Ship's Haven") and calms
the seas and winds. His marriage to the giant Skadi failed because she belongs at her father Thjiazi's home Thrymheim
("Home of Thunder") in the mountains and he by the sea.
Nornir: the three wise goddesses, also called the Norns, who sit at the foot of Yggdrasil and weave the web of fate. Urd
oversees past actions, Verdandi the present, and Skuld the future. Even the gods must bow to their decisions. Compare
with the Greek Fates ("Moira").
Od: lost husband of Freya. When she could not find him she shed tears of gold that turned trees into amber.
Odin ("OHDTH-in"; called Wotan or Woden in Germanic lore): Allfather and shape-shifting husband of Frigga. Lusty god
of ecstacy, storm, hunting, poetry, berserk fury, and incantations. His authority is similar to that of Zeus (Greek) and
Jupiter (Roman). He sits on the throne Hildskfalf ("hlid-skyalf": "Watch Tower") and likes to go about on Earth
disguised as a gray-bearded wanderer in a tall hat and dark blue cloak.
Okolnir ("Not Cold"): the warm ground where the hall Brimir will stand after Ragnarok.
Örlög ("UR-lurg") : a person's own strand of fate (wyrd). One's actions can influence its shape.
Ragnarök: often mistranslated as "twilight (rather than "fate") of the gods": an apocalypse in which the old gods and
their opposites destroy each other, resulting in heavenly renewal and a new race of human beings. C. G. Jung referred
to this mythological dynamic as the transformation of the God-image(s). It begins with a three-year winter (fimbulvetr)
and giants storming Asgard by land under Surt and riding in on Naglfar, a ship made of the nails of the dead steered by
Hrym and captained by Loki. Odin will be eaten by the wolf Fenris, his wolvish offspring Skoll and Hati will devour the
sun and moon, Surt will kill Freyr, the world serpent Jormungand will kill Thor with its breath, the hellhound Garm and
Tyr will kill each other, and so will Heimdall and Loki. The World Serpent will turn out the seas onto land and Surt will
cast flame over the world that ends, like it began, in a union of fire and water. Afterwards Earth will rise again from the
sea and the sun and moon's children Lif and Lifthrasir (Life and Will-to-Live) will repopulate it. Vidar, Vali, Modi, Magni,
Baldur, and Hod will come to Idavoll, former site of Asgard, and find the gold playing pieces of the former Aesir.
Ran ("Robber"): net-wielding wife of Aegir and personification of the sea's danger. The drowned go to her after death.
Rune: a character in a pictographic alphabet held to be of divine origin. The 24-letter Germanic Elder Futhark of the
second to the eighth centuries (sometimes simplified into the Younger Futhark of Scandinavia) is often used in rune
readings. Runes were often carved into pieces of wood and stained red.
Saga: goddess of history, ancestry, and storytelling (her name means "to tell" or "to speak"). She lives in the hall
Sokkvabekk ("Sunken Bank") and often drank there with Odin.
Saehrimnir: the boar eaten by the warriors in Valhalla. They drink mead from the udders of Heithrun, the she-goat who
nibbles the leaves of the World Tree.
Seaxnéat/Saxnot: "Sword Friend," a little-known Anglo-Saxon god, possibly a counterpart to Tyr. A seax was a long,
single-edged knife.
Seidur ("say-dthur"): magic involving an ecstatic state of divination achieved by a wise woman. A form of witchcraft
taught by Freya. This talent, later known as witchcraft, involved ceremony and sometimes erotic practice or imagery.
Sif: seeress wife of Thor and mother of his daughter Thruo ("Strength") and his sons Magni ("Strong") and Modi
("Angry").
Sigyn: wife of Loki; "Woman of Victory." She holds a bowl to catch venom dripped by a poisonous serpent into Loki's
face after the giant Skadi and the gods bound him as punishment (compare the story of Prometheus) for arranging
Baldur's death. His writhings when she turns away to empty the bowl cause earthquakes.
Sjöfn ("SYUR-fn"): her name means "affection." See Lofn.
Skadi ("Shadow"): the skiing mountain giant who hunted with a bow and could not work things out with Njord, whom
she married as compensation for the death of her father Thjiazi. Compare Artemis.
Sleipnir ("SLAYP-near"): the fast steed of Odin, eight-legged and fathered by the stallion Svadilfri, who mated with
shapeshifted Loki its mother.
Snotra ("Wise"): the goddess of custom and courtesy. See Lofn.
Sol: the sun goddess whose chariot is pulled by the horses Allsvinn ("Very Fast") and Arvak ("Early Walker").
Surt: "Black" lord giant of fiery Muspelheim, bearer of a flaming sword, and future leader of the forces opposing Odin's
at Ragnarok, where he will set the world on fire. Compare Hades/Pluto. His wife may have been Sinmora.
Suttung: the giant from whom Odin tricked the mead of poetry. Suttung pursued Odin back to Asgard as an eagle and
almost caught him, but Odin spat the mead into vats. Some of it shot out of his rear as well, and it reappears to stain
the air whenever one hears bad poetry.
Svalin: "The Cooling" is a shield that stands in front of the sun. Without its ozone-like protection the world would burn.
Swartalfheim: the world of dark elves.
Syn: gatekeeper of Frigga's hall Fensalir; her name means "Refusal" or "Denial." She is invoked by defendants during
trials. Compare Hecate.
Thew: tribal law or custom.
Thor: the mighty red-bearded son of Allfather Odin; the Norse Herakles. Armed with his war hammer Mjollnir and
Megingjard the Belt of Strength, he tends to flatten whatever grows inflated beyond natural limits, particularly greedy
giants. His chariot is pulled by the goats Tanggniost ("Tooth-Grinder") and Tanngrisnir ("Snarl Tooth"). His hall is named
Bilskinir ("bill-skier-near"), "Lightning," and is located in Thrudheim ("Place of Might"). Thor safeguards important

6
demarcations (e.g., the boundaries of Asgard) while breaking open those that unduly block or limit. He recalls the
Anglo-Saxon Thunor, the Celtic Tanaros, the Hindu Indra, and the German god Donar.
Thrym: the giant who stole Mjollnir and wouldn't give it back unless the Aesir offered him Freya. Thor showed up for
the wedding dressed as her and accompanied by Loki in the guise of a bridesmaid. The disguise wore thin when Thor
consumed an ox and eight salmon, but Thrym placed the hammer in "Freya's" lap anyway as a Norse sign of conjugal
affection. Mjollnir responded.
Trolls: large, ugly creatures who live in dark or hidden places. Norwegian term for the giant of Sweden or Denmark.
Pretty female ones sometimes seduced wayfarers and left them drowned or lost. In stories where Thor is absent
sometimes appears a short statement like, "...and Thor was out hammering trolls."
Tuoni: Finnish god of the underworld (called Tuonela).
Tyr ("teer"), Tiwaz: the binder of the wolf Fenris with the deceptively thin dwarf-crafted rope Gleipnir ("Open One"). He
bound the wolf (and lost his sword hand to it) because a seeress foretold that the wolf would kill Odin at Ragnarok. He
is a god of honorable conduct and direct action and and linked to the arrow-shaped rune Tiewaz. He is sometimes
compared to Ares and Mars. His consort may have been Zisa.
Ukko: the Finnish Odin or Zeus; also called the Overgod. His wife was Akka. His weapon was a stone ax.
Ull: archer god of hunting and skiing and duels; his name means "Glory." A son of Sif but not Thor, he lives in Ydalir
("Yew Dale"). A kenning for shields was "ships of Ull."
Urda's ("Urth-ahs") Well: the well of fate at the foot of Yggdrasil. Urda is one of the Norns.
Utgard-Loki: the giant who called himself Skrymir ("Big Fellow") and fooled Thor and his companions Thialfi and Loki by
testing them against Elli (Old Age), Logi (Fire), and Hugi (Thought). He and his mansion vanished just before meeting
Mjollnir. Such optical tricks are called sjónhverfing ("sight-altering"). Thor having unknowingly drunk up part of the
ocean, there are now tides.
Vaettir ("VAY-tear"; singular Vaet): spirits of land and place. Genii loci.
Vafthruthnir: the giant who lost a wisdom contest and his life to Odin.
Valhalla: Odin's great "Hall of the Slain" within Asgard. There he feeds and trains slain heroes for use in the final battle
of Ragnarok. The hall is surrounded by the river Thund ("The Roaring"), raftered with spears, roofed with shields, lit by
swords, and fitted with benches strewn with breastplates. A wolf and an eagle are carved above the door. A grove of
red gold called Glasir stands in front of the doors.
Vali: son of Odin and Rind. He was born to avenge Baldur's death by killing blind Hodor.
Valkaries: the implacable "Choosers of the Slain": warrior women who select who will be slain in battle and transport
dead heroes to Valhalla. Descriptions of them often match those of the Furies.
Vanaheim: the world of the Vanir.
Vanir ("VAH-near"; also called the Wanes): an older race of gods similar to the Greek Titans but who continue to interact
with the Aesir, with whom they exchanged peace hostages. The earthy Vanir in Norse myth reach far back into pre-
Indo-European and indigenous shamanic origins.
Var: goddess of oath-keeping and punisher of those who break promises. Her name means an oath or pledge.
Vidar: Odin's son and avenger of his death at Ragnarok. He wears a shoe assembled from the scraps of all shoes that
have ever been, and he uses it to prop open the mouth of Fenriswolf while tearing the beast apart.
Vigrid ("Battle-Shaker"): the 120-league-square Asgard plain where the gods and the giants will destroy each other at
time's end.
Vikings: seagoing merchant raiders who sailed and fought between the eighth and eleventh centuries. The name "Rus,"
or the Swedish Vikings described by Ibn Fadlan, appears in "Russia"; Vikings also founded Dublin, Iceland, Greenland.
Vor: a wise, watchful, careful goddess about whom little is known. She investigates things deeply, and nothing can
remain hidden from her.
Volsung: the king who gave his name to the saga written down by an unknown author in the thirteenth century. The
saga includes Sigmund, the Arthurlike son of Volsung who pulls Odin's sword from the tree Branstock, the sword's
breaking and its remaking into sharp Gram, and the story of the dragon-slaying hero Sigurd and his tragic love Brunhild.
Volund: a smith god similar to Hephaestos/Vulcan and the Anglo-Saxon Weyland.
Völuspá: the first of the poems of the Edda as related by a volva to Odin. It includes the creation and destruction of the
world.
Völva: a wise woman, seer, healer, or witch highly respected in pre-Christian times. (Note: the English word "heal"
reaches back through German and Icelandic to words for "holy" and "whole.") Males who held an analogous role were
known as vitkar (singular vikti).
Vördr ("verd"): a "warden" or "watcher" spirit that guides the soul throughout life. One's angel.
Weonde ("WAY-on-day"): Anglo-Saxon ceremony for blessing a space by circling it clockwise while holding torches.
Willa: the will component of the soul.
Wod: the soul's capacity for passion or creative inspiration.
Wyrd ("whirred"): fate or consequence; similar to karma. Partly personal and partly ancestral. See Örlög.
Yggdrasil ("IG-drah-sill," with the "i" sound between a long E and a long U) : the great World Tree or axis mundi that
supports existence and binds it together. Its name means "Steed of Ygg" (of the Terrible); Odin wounded himself with
a spear and hung himself from the Tree for nine days to acquire the sacred runes of transformation bubbling forth from
the waters below. The Tree has three roots, to the gods, the giants, and the dead: one in Asgard at the Well of Urda,
where the Norn goddesses weave the strings of fate; one under Jötunheim at the Spring of Mimir; and one at Niflheim
at the Spring of Hvergelmir ("Caldron-Roaring"), headwaters of dew fallen from the horns of the stag Eikthyrnir ("Oak
Antlers"), source of eleven rivers (the Elivagar, "Stormy Waves") and site of the dragon Nidhogg and other Tree-
gnawing serpents. The squirrel Ratatok ("Swift Teeth") runs up and down the trunk ferrying a contest of insults
between Nidhogg and the giant eagle Hraesvelg ("Corpse-Gulper") in the topmost branches, its wings creating the
winds as a hawk sits between its eyes. Bees feed on Yggdrasil's dew, unborn souls hang from it like leaves, and

7
Christmas trees symbolize it, each ornament a tiny world. It trembled at Ragnarok, and again when the missionaries
arrived to hack down the sacred groves, but it abides as the worlds come and go in one cyclical "Big Bounce" after
another.
Ymir, Aurgelmir: the primordial giant from whose armpit sweat the gods and humans eventually sprang and from
whose feet rose the giants. His name might indicate his hermaphroditic nature. Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur carved him up
to make the nine worlds. His skull formed the heavens, his flesh the ground, and his blood the oceans and rivers.
Yule: when the old year gives way to the new at the winter solstice, celebrations ensue, the ancestors are close, and
Odin rides through the sky on the Wild Hunt. Children would greet him by leaving food for Sleipnir in their boots near
the chimney and wake up rewarded with gifts or candy. Slaughtering the boar has given way to eating Christmas ham,
but Father Christmas continues to look a lot like generous Freyr gathering and dispensing the harvest.
NORSE MYTHOLOGY OR SCANDINAVIAN
NORSE MYTHOLOGY OR SCANDINAVIAN mythology is the body of mythology of the North Germanic peoples
stemming from Norse paganism and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia and into the Scandinavian
folklore of the modern period. The northernmost extension of Germanic mythology, Norse mythology consists of tales
of various deities, beings, and heroes derived from numerous sources from both before and after the pagan period,
including medieval manuscripts, archaeological representations, and folk tradition.
Numerous gods are mentioned in the source texts, such as the hammer-wielding, mankind-protecting god
Thor, who unrelentingly pursues his foes; the one-eyed, raven-flanked god Odin, who craftily pursues knowledge
throughout the worlds and bestowed among mankind the runic alphabet; the beautiful, seiðr-working, feathered cloak-
clad goddess Freyja who rides to battle to choose among the slain; the vengeful, skiing goddess Skaði, who prefers the
wolf howls of the winter mountains to the seashore; the powerful god Njörðr, who may calm both sea and fire and
grant wealth and land; the god Freyr, whose weather and farming associations bring peace and pleasure to mankind;
the goddess Iðunn, who keeps apples that grant eternal youthfulness; the mysterious god Heimdallr, who is born of
nine mothers, can hear grass grow, has gold teeth, and possesses a resounding horn; the half-god Loki, who brings
tragedy to the gods by engineering the death of the goddess Frigg's beautiful son Baldr; and numerous other deities.
Worlds
There are 9 worlds:
World Name Meaning
Alfheim World of the Light Elves
Asgard World of the Aesir, the warrior gods. The gods built their halls here.
Jotunheim World of the Giants.
Midgard Middle World, land of men.
Muspellheim World of fire, the first world.
Nifleim / Hel / Niflhel World of the dead.
Nidavellir World of the Dwarfs
Svartalfheim World of the Dark Elves
Vanaheim World of Vanir
The Principal gods
This is the Genealogy of the Main Norse Gods.

8
Norse gods
Name Alias Meaning
Aegir Hler god of the sea
Alaisiagae Noric War Goddess
Astrild goddess of love
Atla Water goddess
Balder god of beauty
Bragi god of eloquence
Eastre Frigga? saxon goddess resurrection of nature
Eir goddess of healing
Elli goddess of old age
Forseti god of meditation
Freya a goddess of fertility and love
Freyr god of sun and rain
Frigg a goddess of love and fertility
Gefion a fertility goddess
Heimdall god of light, guards bifrost
Hodur Hod god of darkness
Holler god of death and destruction
Idun goddess of eternal youth
Laga goddess of wells and springs
Lofn goddess of illicit love
Loki god of fire (trickster)
Niord god of Summer
Njord god of winds, sea and fire
Odin Wuotan, Woden All other gods are descendants of Odin
Ran goddess of storms
Saga goddess of poetry and history

9
Skadi goddess of winter and hunting
Snotra goddess of virtue and master of all knowedge
Syn goddess that guarded the door of frigg's palace
Thor god (ruler) of the sky and thunder
Tyr Tiu, Ziu god of war
Ull god of justice and dueling
Uller god of winter
Vali sole purpose is to vengeance upon Loki for Balder's death
Var Vor a goddess of marriage
Vidar god of silence and revenge
Vili hall of vidar located in asgard
Vidar only god to survive Ragnarok. Avenges Odin's death
Halls and Locations
 Gladsheim - the hall of the gods in asgard
 Godheim - another name for asgard
 Utgard - Hall of the giants
 Valhalla - Hall of the slain
 Vanaheim - Home of the vanir, located in asgard
 Bifrost - The Bridge between Asgard and Midgard
Groups
Various groups in Norse Myth
 Aesir - The primary race of the norse gods. They lived in Asgard.
 Asynjur - The group of Norse goddesses belonging to the Aesir
 Svartalfar - The black elves
 Valkyries - Choosers of the Slain, beautiful females upon winged horses.
 Vanir - A group of gods and goddesses.
Giants
Some of the giants in Norse Myth
 Geirrod - a frost giant
 Gerd - a beautiful giant, an earth goddess
 Hymir - a Sea giant
 Jormungand - serpent giant
 Mjollnir - a norse giant father of Sol and Mani (sun and moon)
 Surt - a fire giant, destroys the world during ragnarok
 Thiazi - a giant
 Ymir - primordial giant, creator of the frost giants
Guards
Guard characters in Norse Myth.
 Alberich - A Dwarven King a powerful magician, guards the Nibelung hoard
 Fafnir - The great worm that guards the treasures of light
 Garm - giant hound, guards the enterance to Helheim
 Ginnungagap - the gap separating Niflheim and Muspell
 Midgard - The defensive fortress protecting the world of humans
 Surt - Guards the world of fire
 Svalin - the shield that protects the worlds from the full power of the sun

10
Weapons
 Balmung - Odin's sword
 Mjollnir - the hammer of Thor
 Gungnir - Spear of Odin
Misc
 Yggdrasil - Giant ash tree that links and shelters all of the worlds
 Alfrodull - The sun. A chariot pursued by Skoll
 Ask and Embla - First man and woman. Created by Odin, Ve and Vili. Lived in Midgard.
 Beldegg - son of Odin, king of West Saxony
 Brono - Son of Balder
 Dagur - personification of the day
 Fenrir - a giganitc wolf on Ragnarok he kills Odin
 Ganglere - "Tired of walking" name used by king Gylfe
 Gjallar - the horn carried by Heimdall will sound at Ragnarok
 Glen - husband of sol
 Glut - first wife of loki
 Gna - messenger of frigg
 Gotterdammerung - doom of the norse gods (Ragnarok)
 Hermod - messenger of the gods
 Jarl - first of the race of warriors
 Lif and Lifthrasir - the two human survivors of ragnarok
 Miming - minor forest god
 Mimir - wisest god of the aesir "talking head"
 Nidhogg - monstrous serpent trying to destroy Yggdrasil
 Ragnarok - The final battle, the end.
 Sif - wife of thor
Report by:
GROUP IV
FAJARDO, Migette A. – Materials/Research/Powerpoint
CEBALLOS, Rosemarie G. - Reporter
BERNALDEZ, Sofia A. - Reporter
AGUINALDO, Bhaby Mhay - Reporter
SARDON, Maritoni - Reporter
MANDIEGO, Mark- Reporter
BARCELON, Marlyn - Reporter
PANILAWON, Liza - Reporter
RAMIREZ, Bernadette- Reporter
DOMINGO, Joy- Reporter
GONZAGA, Lyn - Reporter
ALAY, Pablito
References: http://users.dickinson.edu/~eddyb/mythology/Cover_page.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology
http://mythology.wikia.com/wiki/Norse_mythology

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