The Creation and the 15 Major Norse God and Goddesses

1. NORSE
MYTHOLOGY

2. NORSE MYTHOLOGY REFERS TO THE
SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGICAL
FRAMEWORK THAT WAS UPHELD DURING
AND AROUND THE TIME OF THE VIKING AGE
(C. 790- C.1100 CE). COMPLETE WITH A
CREATION MYTH THAT HAS THE FIRST GODS
SLAYING A GIANT AND TURNING HIS BODY
PARTS INTO THE WORLD, VARIOUS REALMS
SPREAD OUT BENEATH THE WORLD TREE
YGGDRASIL, AND THE EVENTUAL
DESTRUCTION OF THE KNOWN WORLD IN
THE RAGNARÖK, THE NORDIC
MYTHOLOGICAL WORLD IS BOTH COMPLEX
AND COMPREHENSIVE. ITS POLYTHEISTIC
PANTHEON, HEADED BY THE ONE-EYED
ODIN, CONTAINS A GREAT NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT GODS AND GODDESSES WHO
WERE VENERATED IN CUSTOMS INTEGRATED
INTO THE ANCIENT SCANDINAVIANS' DAILY
LIVES.

3. MAIN
SOURCES
The Norse Mythology

4. PRE-CHRISTIAN SOURCES THAT PRESERVE
ELEMENTS OF SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY;
MOST IMPORTANTLY EDDIC POETRY (POETRY
FROM THE POETIC EDDA COMPILED IN C. 1270 CE,
BUT PROBABLY DATING BACK TO THE PRE-
CHRISTIAN ERA BEFORE THE 10TH CENTURY) AND
SKALDIC POETRY (VIKING AGE, PRE-CHRISTIAN
POETRY MAINLY HEARD AT COURTS BY KINGS
AND THEIR RETINUES), PRESERVED IN LATER
ICELANDIC MANUSCRIPTS.

5. LATER MEDIEVAL SOURCES,
SUCH AS SNORRI
STURLUSON'S PROSE EDDA
(C. 1220 CE) AND SAXO
GRAMMATICUS' GESTA
DANORUM COMPOSED A FEW
DECADES EARLIER,
REWORKED THE
CHANGEABLE, ENIGMATIC,
BUT SLIGHTLY TANGLED
EARLY VIKING SOURCES
INTO MUCH MORE
STRUCTURED ACCOUNTS.

6. THE
CREATION

7. THE FIRST WORLD TO EXIST WAS MUSPELL,
A PLACE OF LIGHT AND HEAT WHOSE
FLAMES ARE SO HOT THAT THOSE WHO
ARE NOT NATIVE TO THAT LAND CANNOT
ENDURE IT.
SURT SITS AT MUSPELL'S BORDER,
GUARDING THE LAND WITH A FLAMING
SWORD. AT THE END OF THE WORLD HE
WILL VANQUISH ALL THE GODS AND BURN
THE WHOLE WORLD WITH FIRE.
Muspelheim

8. BEYOND MUSPELHEIM
LAY THE GREAT AND
YAWNING VOID NAMED
GINNUNGAGAP
GINNUNGAGAP

9. BEYOND GINNUNGAGAP LAY THE DARK, COLD
REALM OF NIFLHEIM.
ICE, FROST, WIND, RAIN AND HEAVY COLD
EMANATED FROM NIFLHEIM, MEETING IN
GINNUNGAGAP THE SOFT AIR, HEAT, LIGHT,
AND SOFT AIR FROM MUSPELL.
NILFHEIM

10. WHERE HEAT AND COLD
MET APPEARED THAWING
DROPS, AND THIS
RUNNING FLUID GREW
INTO A GIANT FROST OGRE
NAMED YMIR.
YMIR

11. YMIR SLEPT, FALLING
INTO A SWEAT. UNDER
HIS LEFT ARM THERE
GREW A MAN AND A
WOMAN. AND ONE OF
HIS LEGS BEGOT A
SON WITH THE OTHER.
THIS WAS THE
BEGINNING OF THE
FROST OGRES.
FROST OGRES

12. THAWING FROST
THEN BECAME A
COW CALLED
AUDHUMLA. FOUR
RIVERS OF MILK
RAN FROM HER
TEATS, AND SHE FED
YMIR.
AUDHUMLA

13. THE COW LICKED SALTY ICE BLOCKS.
AFTER ONE DAY OF LICKING, SHE FREED
A MAN'S HAIR FROM THE ICE. AFTER
TWO DAYS, HIS HEAD APPEARED. ON
THE THIRD DAY THE WHOLE MAN WAS
THERE. HIS NAME WAS BURI, AND HE
WAS TALL, STRONG, AND HANDSOME.
BURI BEGOT A SON NAMED BOR, AND
BOR MARRIED BESTLA, THE DAUGHTER
OF A GIANT.
Buri, Bor, and Bestla

14. BOR AND BESTLA HAD THREE
SONS: ODIN WAS THE FIRST, VILI
THE SECOND, AND VÉ THE THIRD.
IT IS BELIEVED THAT ODIN, IN
ASSOCIATION WITH HIS
BROTHERS, IS THE RULER OF
HEAVEN AND EARTH. HE IS THE
GREATEST AND MOST FAMOUS OF
ALL MEN.
Odin, Vili, and Vé

15. ODIN, VILI, AND VÉ KILLED THE GIANT YMIR.
WHEN YMIR FELL, THERE ISSUED FROM HIS
WOUNDS SUCH A FLOOD OF BLOOD, THAT
ALL THE FROST OGRES WERE DROWNED,
EXCEPT FOR THE GIANT BERGELMIR WHO
ESCAPED WITH HIS WIFE BY CLIMBING ONTO
A LUR [A HOLLOWED-OUT TREE TRUNK THAT
COULD SERVE EITHER AS A BOAT OR A
COFFIN]. FROM THEM SPRING THE FAMILIES
OF FROST OGRES.
THE DEATH OF YMIR

16. EARTH, TREES, AND MOUNTAINS
Earth, trees, and mountains
The sons of Bor then carried Ymir to the
middle of Ginnungagap and made the world
from him. From his blood they made the sea
and the lakes; from his flesh the earth; from
his hair the trees; and from his bones the
mountains. They made rocks and pebbles
from his teeth and jaws and those bones
that were broken.

17. DWARFS
Maggots appeared in Ymir's
flesh and came to life. By the
decree of the gods they
acquired human understanding
and the appearance of men,
although they lived in the earth
and in rocks.

18. SKY, CLOUDS,
AND STARS
From Ymir's skull the sons of Bor made the sky and set it over the earth with its four
sides. Under each corner they put a dwarf, whose names are East, West, North, and
South. The sons of Bor flung Ymir's brains into the air, and they became the clouds.
Then they took the sparks and burning embers that were flying about after they had
been blown out of Muspell, and placed them in the midst of Ginnungagap to give light
to heaven above and earth beneath. To the stars they gave appointed places and
paths. The earth was surrounded by a deep sea. The sons of Bor gave lands near the
sea to the families of giants for their settlements.

19. MIDGARD
To protect themselves from the
hostile giants, the sons of Bor
built for themselves an inland
stonghold, using Ymir's
eyebrows. This stonghold they
named Midgard.

20. ASK AND EMBLA
While walking along the seashore the sons of
Bor found two trees, and from them they
created a man and a woman. Odin gave the
man and the woman spirit and life. Vili gave
them understanding and the power of
movement. Vé gave them clothing and names.
The man was named Ask [Ash] and the woman
Embla [Elm?]. From Ask and Embla have sprung
the races of men who lived in Midgard.

21. ASGARD
In the middle of the world the sons of Bor
built for themselves a stronghold named
Asgard, called Troy by later generations. The
gods and their kindred lived in Asgard, and
many memorable events have happened
there. In Asgard was a great hall named
Hlidskjálf. Odin sat there on a high seat. From
there he could look out over the whole world
and see what everyone was doing. He
understood everything that he saw.

22. ODIN, FRIGG,
AND THE ÆSIR
Odin married Frigg, the daughter of Fjörgvin.
From this family has come all the kindred that
inhabited ancient Asgard and those kingdoms
that belonged to it. Members of this family are
called the Æsir, and they are all divinities. This
must be the reason why Odin is called All-
Father. He is the father of all the gods and men
and of everything that he and his power
created.

23. THOR
The earth was Odin's
daughter and his wife as
well. By her he had his first
son, Thor. Might and
strength were Thor's
characteristics. By these he
dominates every living
creature.

24. BIFRÖST
As all informed people know, the gods built a
bridge from earth to heaven called Bifröst.
Some call it the rainbow. It has three colors and
is very strong, made with more skill and
cunning than other. But strong as it is, it will
break whenstructures the sons of Muspell ride
out over it. The gods are not to blame that this
structure will then break. Bifröst is a good
bridge, but there is nothing in this world that
can be relied on when the sons of Muspell are
on the warpath.

25. YGGDRASIL
The chief sanctuary of the gods is
by the ash tree Yggdrasil. There
they hold their daily court.
Yggdrasil is the best and greatest
of all trees. Its branches spread
out over the whole world and
reach up over heaven.

26. NINE WORLDS

27. RAGNARÖK

28. With humans popping up,
a new phase begins; time
has started, and all the
gods and other creatures
and their respective
realms are off doing
their own thing up until
the Ragnarök.

29. The World Tree Yggdrasil, the axis
of time and space, stands in the
gods' home realm of Asgard while
its roots encompass all the other
realms, including Midgard, where
the humans reside, and the giants'
abode Jotunheim.

30. NORNS
dragon of death called Nidhogg chomps
on said roots, all while the three fates
(known as Norns) spin the fates of
human lives at the tree's base.

31. Eventually, these fairly peachy
worldly conditions snowball
into chaos and culminate in the
Ragnarök, the 'final destiny of
the gods', for which our main
source is the 10th-century CE
Völuspá saga. It starts with a
terrible winter.

32. The earth sinks into the sea,
the wolf Fenrir (often referred
to as the Fenris-wolf) breaks
loose and devours the sun,
and, as the icing on the
already crumbling cake,
mighty Yggdrasil shakes and
the bridge Bifröst – the
express-way between Asgard
and Midgard – collapses.

33. Understandably
rattled, the gods
hold an emergency
council to prepare
for battle against
the powers of the
Underworld, who
are closing in.

34. Odin fights Fenrir
but falls, after
which the god
Vidarr avenges
him

35. While Thor destroys the
Midgard Serpent but
succumbs to its poison.

36. The gods and their foes die left,
right, and centre, until the giant
Surtr goes pyromaniac and kindles
the world-fire that destroys
everything.

37. The destruction is not the
end. Following a cyclical
concept of the world, a new
world rises – not from the
ashes, but from the sea. Only
a handful of gods are still
standing, but the new world
will have a new generation of
gods as well as humankind.

38. ÆSIR
The gods themselves are boxed into
two families. Firstly, there is the
bigger Æsir family mostly
connected with war and
government, which was in practice
also used as an umbrella term for
the main gods in general. It
includes notables such as Odin,
Thor, Loki, Baldr, Hodr, Heimdall,

39. VANIR
Secondly, the smaller Vanir family
contains fertility gods such as
Njord, Freyr, and Freyja. Despite
them all living in Asgard, they do
not always see eye-to-eye -
which, admittedly, is difficult
considering Odin only has one
eye, to begin with. In fact, they
clash to the point of war (the
'Vanir wars'; or 'Æsir-Vanir Wars')
but exchange hostages after
making peace and fuse their
families through marriage.

40. The contrast between the Æsir and the Vanir
has been argued to stem from oppositions in
Viking society, as the Vanir, with their focus
on fertility, good harvests, and the climate,
were popular in farming communities, while
the Æsir were seen to advise kings, lords, and
their warriors in matters of war and
governance. As such, the peace made at the
end of the Vanir wars might reflect the idea
that society could only function through the
combined powers of both social classes.

41. 15 MAJOR NORSE
GODS, GODDESSES

42. YMIR – THE
ANCESTOR OF GIANTS
Ymir, the ancestor of all jötnar (mythic
entities that ranged from giants to other
fantastical creatures). Now as opposed to a
strict categorization as one of the Norse
gods, Ymir was perceived more as the ‘first
being’ who was created by the ice of Niflheim
combined with the heat of Muspelheim, long
before the existence of the Earth. And after
his own genesis, Ymir, with his
hermaphroditic body, was responsible for
birthing male, female, and other mythical
beings, who in turn would go on to bear
future generations.

43. AND MIRRORING OTHER PRIMEVAL DEITIES OF
ANCIENT MYTHOLOGIES, THE NARRATIVE OF
YMIR TOOK A TURN, WITH THE ENTITY BEING
GIVEN A TRAGIC ENDING DUE TO HIS
APPARENT EVIL MACHINATIONS. TO THAT END,
BURI (CREATED AFTER YMIR), OFTEN
ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE FIRST OF THE NORSE
GODS, HAD A SON NAMED BOR, WHO FINALLY
MARRIED ONE OF YMIR’S DESCENDANTS
BESTLA, AND THEIR UNION PRODUCED THREE
SONS – VE, VILI, AND ODIN. BUT THE ANGRY
YMIR CONFRONTED THESE ASCENDING YOUNG
NORSE GODS, WHICH EVENTUALLY LED TO HIS
OWN DEATH AT THE HANDS OF THE THREE
BROTHERS.

44. ODIN – THE KING OF
THE AESIR GODS
Odin (Óðinn in Old Norse), possibly the most
revered yet enigmatic of all Norse gods, was
regarded as the king of the Æsir tribe of gods.
Historically, Odin had always been prominent in
the pantheon of Germanic mythology, as is
evident from Tacitus’ late 1st-century AD work
Germania (where Odin is seen as the equivalent
of Roman god Mercury). And given his mythical
eminence over the cultural framework of the
Germanic people, Odin was associated with
various (and often antithetical) aspects, ranging
from wisdom, healing, royalty to death, sorcery,
and even frenzy.

45. PERTAINING TO THE ATTRIBUTE OF WISDOM, THE
CHARACTER OF ODIN MIRRORING HIS
‘CONTRADICTORY’ ASPECTS, WAS OFTEN PORTRAYED
AS THE HAGGARD WANDERER WHO RELENTLESSLY
SEEKS KNOWLEDGE, IN SPITE OF HIS REGAL STATUS
AS THE RULER OF THE ASGARD. ONE OF THE STORIES
EPITOMIZES THE GOD’S THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE
AND WISDOM WHERE ODIN WILLINGLY GOUGES OUT
ONE OF HIS EYES AS A SACRIFICE FOR MIMIR, A
SHADOWY BEING WHO POSSESSES UNPARALLELED
KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE OF ITS CONSUMPTION OF THE
WATER FROM THE WELL OF URD. MIMIR IN RETURN
OFFERS ODIN A DRAUGHT FROM THE WELL THAT
DRAWS WATER FROM THE ROOTS OF THE YGGDRASIL,
THE COSMIC TREE THAT BINDS THE NINE WORLDS OF
NORSE MYTHOLOGY.

46. FRIGG – THE QUEEN OF THE
AESIR GODS
Possibly the foremost of all Norse goddesses when
it came to their pantheon, Frigg was regarded as
the Queen of the Æsir and the goddess of the sky.
Moreover, with her special status as the spouse of
Odin, the deity, with her power of foreknowledge,
was also frequently associated with fertility,
household, motherhood, marriage, and even
domestic matters. In essence, of all the Norse
gods, it was the mythic aspects of Frigg that were
mostly related to the perceived bliss of family life.

47. ON THE OTHER HAND, FRIGG’S
LOVE FOR FAMILY AND
MOTHERLY PROTECTIVENESS
ALSO LEADS TO THE TRAGIC
EPISODE OF HER FAVORED
CHILD BALDER’S DEATH.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, IN
SPITE OF FRIGG’S EMINENCE
IN LATER NORSE MYTHOLOGY
(DURING THE VIKING
PERIOD), HER OLD GERMANIC
VERSION IS STEEPED IN
MYSTERY – A FACTOR THAT IS
STILL DEBATED IN THE
ACADEMIC WORLD.

48. THOR – THE LOYAL
DEFENDER OF
ASGARD
Arguably the most famous of the Norse gods, Thor
(Þórr in Old Norse), the god of thunder, with his
burly might and boisterous ways, epitomized the
formidable warrior who was accorded high status in
the Germanic society of ancient and early medieval
times. Regarded as the son of Odin and his wife
Fjörgyn (not to be confused with Frigg), Thor, with
his red beard and eyes, was hailed as the loyal and
stalwart defender of the Æsir’s stronghold of
Asgard, thus suggesting his symbolic role as the
protector of the ordered cosmos.

49. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, ACCORDING TO POETIC EDDA,
THOR WAS CONSIDERED AS THE STRONGEST OF ALL
BEINGS AMONG BOTH GODS AND MEN. AND HIS
STRENGTH WAS RATHER ‘AMPLIFIED’ BY SOME OF
HIS SPECIALLY-CRAFTED APPARELS, INCLUDING HIS
IRON GLOVES AND THE BELT OF MEGINGJARD (OR
MEGINGJARÐAR IN OLD NORSE). BUT THE MOST
COMMON ITEM ASSOCIATED WITH THOR
UNDOUBTEDLY PERTAINS TO THE DWARF-CRAFTED
HAMMER MJÖLLNIR (ROUGHLY TRANSLATED TO
‘LIGHTNING’), THUS ALLUDING TO HOW THUNDER
WAS PERCEIVED (BY THE PRE-CHRISTIANITY ERA
NORSEMEN) AS THE RESULT OF THOR STRIKING HIS
HAMMER, PRESUMABLY WHEN SLAYING GIANTS AND
MONSTERS WHILE RIDING HIS CHARIOT DRAWN BY
TWO GIANT GOATS – TANNGNIOST AND
TANNGRISNIR.

50. BALDER – THE GOD OF
LIGHT AND PURITY
Regarded as the Æsir god of light and purity,
Balder, or Baldur (Baldr in Old Norse), the
younger son of Odin and Frigg, and half-
brother of Thor, epitomized the effulgent
summer sun itself. He was also hailed as a
fair, wise, and gracious divine being whose
beauty even abashed the elegant flowers
before him. Matching his physical attributes,
his abode Breidablik in Asgard was
considered the most exquisite of all halls in
the stronghold of the Norse gods, flaunting
its gilded silver components and embellished
pillars that only allowed the purest of hearts
to enter.

51. BALDER ALSO POSSESSED THE GREATEST SHIP
EVER BUILT, HRINGHORNI, WHICH WAS LATER
USED AS THE FUNERAL PYRE AFTER THE GOD’S
TRAGIC DEATH. RELATING TO THIS DEPLORABLE
INCIDENT, BALDER WAS MISTAKENLY KILLED BY
HÖÐR, BALDER’S TWIN BROTHER, WHO WAS ALSO
BLIND. HÖÐR WAS PRESENTED A DART MADE OF
MISTLETOE BY THE CUNNING LOKI, WHO KNEW
THAT BALDER WAS IMPERVIOUS TO ALL LIVING
ELEMENTS ON THE FACE OF ASGARD AND
MIDGARD, EXCEPT FOR THE SEEMINGLY HARMLESS
MISTLETOE (WHICH FRIGG, BALDER’S MOTHER,
MISSED WHEN MAKING A PLEA TO MOST LIVING
THINGS WHEN IT CAME TO CAUSING NO HARM TO
HER DELICATE SON).

52. VIDAR – THE SILENT
GOD OF VENGEANCE
Represented as the ‘silent’ god of vengeance,
Vidar (or Víðarr in Old Norse, possibly
translated to ‘wide ruler’) was the son of Odin
and the jötunn Grid (or Gríðr). With his name
attested in the Poetic Edda, his association
with vengeance probably stems from the
foretelling of how he would avenge his father’s
(Odin’s) death by killing the ferocious Fenrir,
the monstrous wolf, at the Ragnarok.
Incredibly enough, he is also counted among
the very few major Norse gods who would
survive the final conflict (and “thereafter dwell
on the field of Idavoll”).

53. IN GYLFAGINNING (FIRST PART OF POETIC
EDDA), VIDAR IS MENTIONED TO WEAR A THICK
SHOE (LIKE THOR) WHICH IS CONSTANTLY
MENDED BY THE GOD HIMSELF. THAT IS BECAUSE
THE SHOE WOULD KEEP VIDAR RELATIVELY SAFE
AS HE PLUNGES HIS FOOT DOWN FENRIR’S
THROAT TO SMASH THE MONSTER’S HEART AT
THE RAGNAROK (ALTHOUGH VÖLUSPÁ MENTIONS
HOW VIDAR WOULD SLAY FENRIR BY THRUSTING
HIS SWORD INTO THE WOLF’S HEART). TO THAT
END, THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A TRADITION
AMONG THE NORSE SHOEMAKERS TO KEEP (OR
DEDICATE) LITTLE SCRAPS OF LEATHER FROM
THE TRIMMINGS OF THEIR SHOES TO AID THE
SILENT GOD OF VENGEANCE.

54. TYR – THE GOD OF
WAR
The deity of war and heroic glory, Tyr (or Týr in Old
Norse) was regarded as the bravest of the Norse gods of
the Germanic people. And in spite of his association with
wars – more specifically the formalities of conflict,
including treaties, his origins are rather enigmatic, with
the deity possibly being one the oldest and most
important of the ancient Germanic pantheon, until he was
supplanted by Odin (who had been described in many
myths as Tyr’s father, while other stories place Tyr as the
son of the giant Hymir). In any case, since some of the
aspects of Tyr related to formalities, the god was also
hailed as the deity of justice and oaths.

55. Tyr was often depicted as the one-handed god
since his limb was bitten off by the monstrous wolf
Fenrir when the god tried to trap the creature (and
Fenrir was thus successfully bound till Ragnarok
due to the sacrifice of Tyr). In spite of this
episode, Tyr is foretold to be slain by Garm, the
guard dog of Hel, as opposed to Fenrir (according
to the prose version of Ragnarök). And like some
other Norse gods, Tyr also has his significance in
our modern-day context. In that regard, the Old
English variant of his name is Tiw, and he was
associated with Mars by the Romans, and thus dies
Marti (Mars’ Day) came to be known as tiwesdæg
(Tuesday).

56. BRAGI – THE ‘BARD’
GOD OF ASGARD
Bragi (which roughly translates to ‘Poet’ in Old
Norse), often considered as the skaldic god of
poetry in Norse mythology, pertains to a unique
mythical character who possibly shared traits with
the historical 9th-century bard Bragi Boddason, who
himself might have served in the courts of Ragnar
Lodbrok and Björn at Hauge. In any case, when it
came to legends, the god Bragi was perceived as
the bard of Valhalla, the magnificent hall of Odin
where all the fallen heroes and warriors are
gathered for the ultimate ‘showdown’ at Ragnarok.
To that end, Bragi was hailed as the skillful poet-
god who sang and delighted the hordes of the
Einherjar (warriors who died in battles and were
brought to Odin’s majestic hall by the Valkyries).

57. HE IS RENOWNED FOR WISDOM,
AND MOST OF ALL FOR FLUENCY OF
SPEECH AND SKILL WITH WORDS.
HE KNOWS MOST OF SKALDSHIP,
AND AFTER HIM SKALDSHIP IS
CALLED BRAGR, AND FROM HIS
NAME THAT ONE IS CALLED BRAGR-
MAN OR -WOMAN, WHO POSSESSES
ELOQUENCE SURPASSING OTHERS,
OF WOMEN OR OF MEN. HIS WIFE
IS IÐUNN

58. IDUN – THE
YOUTHFUL GODDESS
OF REJUVENATION
Idun (or Iðunn in Old Norse, meaning
‘Rejuvenating One’) belonged to the
Aesir tribe of Norse gods, and as such,
was considered as the Norse goddess of
eternal youthfulness. This aspect was
represented by her strikingly exuberant
long golden hair. In the mythical
narrative, she is also mentioned as
being the wife of Bragi, the court poet of
Asgard.

59. HOWEVER, BEYOND HER PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES, IT
WAS THE LATENT POWER SHE HELD THAT IS
ARGUABLY MORE INTERESTING TO THE MYTH LOVERS.
TO THAT END, IDUN WAS SAID TO POSSESS FRUITS
(EPLI – SOMETIMES DESIGNATED AS APPLES) THAT
ENDOW IMMORTALITY, AS MENTIONED IN BOTH
HAUSTLÖNG AND THE PROSE EDDA. IN ESSENCE, HER
FRUITS ARE THE ‘FUEL’ THAT SUSTAIN THE
IMMORTALITY OF THE ASGARD DWELLERS, THEREBY
MAKING HER A CRUCIAL MEMBER AMONG THE NORSE
GODS. ANOTHER VAGUE MYTH ALSO RELATES TO HOW
SHE IS ACCUSED OF CHEATING BY NONE OTHER THAN
LOKI.

60. LOKI – THE
TRICKSTER GOD
Represented as having qualities somewhat akin
to the chaotic and mischevious aspects of
ancient Egyptian god Set, Loki is regarded as the
trickster among the Norse gods, who as a
jötunn, being the son of giant Farbauti and
giantess (or goddess) Laufey, also possesses the
power to shapeshift. Essentially, he is projected
as an entity who is not entirely evil in his
whimsical purposes, and yet particularly
scheming in his cruel actions – many of which
lead to misfortunes and even tragedies (like the
accidental death of Balder).

61. NOW GIVEN HIS HERITAGE AS AN OUTSIDER AMONG
THE ÆSIR TRIBE OF GODS, THE NARRATIVE OF LOKI
IN ANCIENT STORIES MIGHT HAVE SERVED AS A
PLOT DEVICE THAT PROVIDES A SOFT ANTITHESIS
TO THE OTHER GODS. HIS COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP
WITH OTHER GODS, PARTICULARLY THOR, COMES
TO LIGHT FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES. FOR
EXAMPLE, IN LOKASENNA OR “LOKI’S QUARREL”
(ONE OF THE POEMS OF POETIC EDDA), LOKI KEEPS
ON INSULTING THOR AND THEN GOES INTO HIDING
FEARING THE HAMMER MJÖLNIR. ON THE OTHER
HAND, IN ÞRYMSKVIÐA (OR ANGLICIZED AS
THRYMSKVIDA), THOR AND LOKI SHARE THEIR
CAMARADERIE WHEN THEY TOGETHER HATCH A
PLAN TO RETRIEVE THE STOLEN MJÖLNIR FROM A
JÖTUNN NAMED ÞRYMR.

62. HEL – THE RULER OF
THE UNDERWORLD
We tend to associate hell with the realm of
eternal damnation. Well, its Germanic
counterpart was no walk in the park either,
with inhabitants like Fenrir the Wolf,
Jörmungandr the Serpent and other subjects
who had died through sickness and old age.
The ruler of this netherworld (also called
Helheim) was the eponymous Hel, who was
the daughter of Loki and the giant
Angrboda. And it fell upon her to judge and
decide the fate of the souls who entered her
realm.

63. DESCRIPTIONS OF HEL, THE BEING, HAVE BEEN
FOUND IN NUMEROUS VIKING SAGAS AND POEMS;
AND MOST OF THEM PORTRAY HER AS BEING
PARTLY DECOMPOSED WITH A FACE AND A BODY OF
LIVING WOMEN (ALBEIT WITH A GLOOMY,
DOWNCAST APPEARANCE), BUT WITH THIGHS AND
LEGS OF A CORPSE. STILL, AMONG THE NORSE
GODDESSES, SHE WAS SAID TO BE MOST
POWERFUL, EVEN MORE THAN ODIN HIMSELF,
INSIDE HER OWN REALM THE HEL. THE TRAGIC
EPISODE OF BALDER’S DEATH CONFIRMS SUCH AN
ASSOCIATION TO POWER SINCE IT ULTIMATELY
FALLS UPON HEL TO DECIDE THE FATE OF THE SOUL
OF A GOD WHO WAS CONSIDERED THE WISEST AND
MOST PURE OF ALL THE NORSE GODS OF ÆSIR.

64. HEIMDALL – THE
VIGILANT GUARDIAN
OF ASGARD
Often portrayed as ever-vigilant guardian of Asgard,
the stronghold of the Æsir Norse gods, Heimdall (or
Heimdallr in Old Norse) was hailed as the
descendant of giant Fornjót, and the grandson of sea
jötunn (singular of jötnar) Ægir. He is often depicted
with his horn Gjallarhorn (‘Resounding Horn’), which
is put to use when intruders approach the home of
the Æsir tribe of gods. Pertaining to this ‘guarding’
duty, Heimdall is attested to possess keen eyesight
(that stretches to hundreds of miles) and hearing
(that even encompasses the sound of wool growing
on the sheep), complemented by other qualities like
having foreknowledge and vast sources of energy
(that allows him to sleep less than a bird).

65. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY
THAT HEIMDALLR WAS ONCE CONSIDERED TO BE THE
FATHER OF HUMANKIND, AS VAGUELY MENTIONED IN
THE OLD NORSE POEM VÖLUSPÁ. OTHER SCHOLARS
HAVE HYPOTHESIZED THAT HEIMDALL AS A
FIGUREHEAD WAS HISTORICALLY PERCEIVED BY THE
NORSE TRIBES AS BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING
THE HIERARCHY AND CLASSES AMONG MEN. IN ANY
CASE, REVERTING TO MYTHOLOGY, HEIMDALL ALSO
PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE IMPENDING
RAGNAROK, WHERE HE WILL SOUND THE DIRE CALL OF
GJALLARHORN TO SIGNAL THE ARRIVAL OF THE
GIANTS AND MONSTERS. AND IN THE CONSEQUENT
CONFRONTATIONS, LOKI AND HEIMDALL ARE
FORETOLD TO SLAY ONE ANOTHER.

66. NJORD – THE GOD OF SEAS AND WEALTH
Njord (or Njörðr in Old Norse), belonged to the
Vanir branch of Norse gods but was later accepted
as an honorary member of the Aesir after the
conclusion of their war. In the mythical narrative,
Njord (pronounced as Nyord) was the god of the
sea, while being also associated with both wealth
and fertility. Suffice it to say, given his ‘powers’,
the Vikings especially revered him as the principal
deity of seafaring. Germanic people may have also
perceived him as the ‘richest’ divine being among
all the Norse gods and goddesses.

67. AS FOR THE PRIMARY MYTH OF NJORD, THE LORE
RELATES TO THE MARRIAGE OF THE SEA GOD WITH THE
GIANTESS SKADI. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, SKADI
MARRIES NJORD AFTER BEING ENTICED BY HIS
BEAUTIFUL FEET (WHICH SHE MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED
AS THAT OF BALDUR – THE NORSE GOD OF YOUTH).
HOWEVER, DOMESTIC LIFE WAS NOT THAT BLISSFUL
FOR THE UNLIKELY COUPLE, WITH SKADI PREFERRING
TO SPEND THEIR TIME IN HER HOME IN THE SNOWY
MOUNTAINS, WHILE NJORD PREFERRING IT AT NÓATÚN
(“THE PLACE OF SHIPS”), HIS HEAVENLY ABODE.
EXPECTEDLY, THE COUPLE PARTS WAYS AFTER SOME
TIME, BUT NOT BEFORE GIVING BIRTH TO THE TWINS
FREYR AND FREYA (DISCUSSED IN THE NEXT ENTRIES)-
TWO MAJOR NORSE DEITIES IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.

68. FREYR – THE GOD
OF FERTILITY
One the most venerated and beloved of the Norse
gods, Freyr (along with his twin sister Freya) was
unique in his origins, since he belonged to the
Vanir tribe of Norse gods, as opposed to the Æsir.
Usually depicted as a brawny man with his flowing
hair, Freyr, the son of sea-god Njord (and frost
giantess, Skadi or Njord’s unnamed sister), was
hailed as the foremost of deities when it came to
the aspect of fertility – covering both sexual and
ecological scopes. Simply put, the god embodied
bountiful harvests, wealth, peace, and possibly
even virility – all symbolized by Freyr’s boar
Gullinborsti (‘Golden-Bristled’).

69. GIVEN HIS ASSOCIATION WITH SUCH IMPORTANT
AVENUES, FREYR WAS THE FAVORED ENTITY OF
REVERENCE AND WORSHIP WHEN IT CAME TO
MARRIAGE RITES AND HARVEST CELEBRATIONS. THE
PREFERRED SACRIFICE IN THESE CASES OFTEN
INVOLVED THE BOAR, THE ANIMAL SYMBOLICALLY
LINKED TO THE FERTILITY GOD. IN THAT REGARD, IN
NORSE MYTHOLOGY, FREYR WAS ALSO KNOWN TO
TRAVEL IN HIS CHARIOT PULLED BY BOARS – AND
THIS WAS ENACTED BY ANCIENT HISTORICAL
PROCESSIONS OF GERMANIC PRIESTS WHO WENT
AROUND IN CHARIOTS (CONTAINING FREYR’S
STATUE) TO TYPIFY THE COMING OF ‘PEACE AND
PROSPERITY’ IN VARIOUS REGIONS OF GERMANIA.

70. FREYA – THE
GODDESS OF FATE
AND DESTINY
Freya (Freyja in Old Norse, meaning ‘Lady’), though
initially belonging to the Vanir tribe of Norse gods
(like his twin brother Freyr), was also as a loyal and
honorary member of the Æsir, after the conclusion of
their tribal war. Epitomizing the aspects of love,
beauty, and even opulent objects, the goddess was
often represented as the seeker of pleasure and the
unknown. Focusing on the latter, Freya embodied the
völva (or anglicized vala), the female seer of the
Norse religion who had the ability to tinker with the
seidr – magic pertaining to destiny and its ‘weaving’.

71. IN ESSENCE, FREYA HAD THE ABILITY TO ALTER
AND MANIPULATE ONE’S DESIRE AND FORTUNE –
AND THUS WAS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE
UNDISCERNABLE ATTITUDES OF CATS. FREYA WAS
ALSO REGARDED AMONG THE NORSE GODDESSES
AS THE RULER OF THE AFTERLIFE REALM
FOLKVANG, WHICH ALLOWED HER TO CHOOSE
HALF OF THE WARRIORS WHO WERE SLAIN IN
BATTLE (THE OTHER HALF WERE GUIDED BY THE
VALKYRIES TO VALHALLA – SEE THE BRAGI
ENTRY). ALL OF THESE CHARACTERISTICS OF A
POTENT VÖLVA MIRRORS THE HISTORICAL
SCENARIO OF THE GERMANIC PANTHEON,
ESPECIALLY DURING THE VÖLKERWANDERUNG OR
‘MIGRATION PERIOD’ – CIRCA 400-800 AD. IN
THAT REGARD, THESE TRIBAL SOCIETIES TENDED
TO FAVOR TWO GODS AT THE HEAD OF THEIR
PANTHEON SYMBOLIZING THE CHIEFTAIN WARRIOR
(WHO WOULD LEAD THEM INTO BATTLES AND
PLUNDERS) AND HIS WIFE THE PROPHETESS (WHO
WOULD OUTLINE THE FUTURE OUTCOME OF SUCH
MILITARY ENCOUNTERS BY HER MAGIC).