Norse Mythology: Gods, Giants, and Creation

2. By Odin’s Beard!

3. Viking Era There are several similarities between Norse Mythology and Greek/Roman Mythology • Norse myths were codified during the Viking era: 780 - 1070 • Travel as far east as the Caspian sea • Fashioned after the fall of the Roman empire • Made many expeditions into Britain

4. Norse Society An extension of the society that fashions it • Similar to Greek and Roman Mythology • Explanation of the powerful forces which affect and shape it • weather, the elements, and nature • Gods and Goddesses • super-human powers • fraught with very human frailties and flaws

5. Gods • There are three Gods who do not have Roman/Greek/Norse counterparts • Thor • Son of Odin • God of thunder • axe-hammer – Mjolnir • iron gloves and a belt of strength • Athena • Greek/Roman Goddess • Daughter of Zeus and Metis • Virgin Goddess • embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity • Loki • Giant • Enemy of the Norse Gods • Became God through Odin • Son is Fenris (Wolf)

6. Paganism • Europe was Christianized for almost a thousand years, but the Norwegians were still worshipping their old pagan gods. • Cold and Heat • Ymer • A giant troll • left armpit: a male and a female emerged • Feet: a son with six heads • Rime Giants, sometimes called trolls, but best known as Jotuns • Audhumla • a colossal cow • Licked rock to create first God • Created Bure • descended the gods, whom we call Æsir.

7. The Vikings • Teutonic people (Germanic) • Great chivalry • Barbaric cruelty (war, looting, aggression, rape and other crimes) • Pillaged eastern coastline • Killing men, killing children, and raping women • Methods of slaughtering peasant fisherfolk were horrendous • Galwegian warriors • Impaling babies

8. The Norse believed that originally the world was made up of a region of ice and mist called Niflheim and another of fire and tremendous heat called Muspellsheim.

9. In the course of time the warmer air from one melted the ice of the other. Out of this sprang the giant Ymir and a whole race of other giants.

10. From the frost sprang a cow called Audumla. By licking the ice, the cow formed a man called Buriwhose descendant would be the chief of gods and men. Buri’s grandsons were Odin, Vili, and Ve.

11. These three gods slew the giants and from Ymir’s body, they formed the earth named Midgard, and the mountains, sea, etc. The stars in the sky were formed from the sparks erupting from Muspellsheim.

12. Creation In the south was a land of fire; in the north was a land of ice. They met in the great emptiness of Ginnungagap, and the ice began to melt. From the melting ice came a huge giant, Ymir. The first man and woman grew from under his arms. The frost-giants grew from his feet. Ymir fed on the milk of a cow, which licked another creature, an man named Bur, from the ice.

13. Creation • Bur’s grandsons, Odin and 2 others, killed Ymir and made the world from his parts: • his skull became the sky • his eyebrows formed a barrier between the world of men and the world of giants • his blood became sea and lakes • his bones became the mountains • The world was divided into several parts: • Jötunheim, the home of the giants • Midgard, the land of humans • Asgard, the home of the gods • Hel, home of the dead • The world tree, Yggdrasill, extended between all of these lands. • At its foot in Asgard was the well of Urd, where the Norns lived, three women who oversee fate.

14. World in the Balance • It represents a world equilibrium that is more like entropy: • Around its roots is a serpent; • At its top is an eagle; • A squirrel runs up and down between them; • Deer are constantly eating at its branches; • and the Norns continually try to shore up the damage. Yggdrasill, the world tree, spans the different realms of Norse myth. These realms (Jötunheim, Midgard, Asgard) are joined by the three roots of the great tree Yggdrasill. (Each seems to have the whole tree …) At its roots in Asgard is the well of Urd, where the Norns live; at its roots in Jötunheim (a.k.a.Utgard) is the well of Ymir.

15. Yggdrasill

16. The Gods The Norse gods are divided into two races: Aesir and Vanir. Aesir are dominant; they are the gods most associated with heroic tales, conflict with giants, warfare, and the beginning and end of the world. Vanir tend to be fertility deities; there are fewer of them.

17. Norse mythology • The religion of the Scandinavian regions, pre-Christianity. These tales are important, as they come from the Anglo-Saxons, the originators of the English language. Their stories followed them to England. • There are nine separate worlds, each one being the home of a different race: the gods’ home Asgard, the humans’ home Midgard, the giants’ home Jötunheim, etc. • (The races and many of the terms used in Lord of the Rings come from Norse mythology.)

18. Yggsdrasil – the World Tree The nine realms are: Humans – Midgard Asgardian Gods – Asgard Vanir Gods – Vanaheim Ice Giants – Jötunheim Elves – Alfheim Dark Elves – Svartalfheim Dwarves – Nidavellir Demons – Muspelheim the Dead – Hel

19. Odin • Chief of the gods • Father of Thor, Balder, and other gods • Odin pierces himself with a spear and hangs on Yggdrasil for 9 days and nights to learn the secret knowledge of runes • Has one eye because he traded it for a drink from the spring of ALL KNOWING His two ravens are called Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory)

20. Odin Odin is a multifaceted, mysterious, often deceptive god. A list of some of his names hints at his complex nature: The Hooded one, the Warrior, Helmet-god, the High one, the Blind one, Capricious, Inflamer, Weak-eyes, Fiery-eyed, Evil-doer, Father of Victory, The One with the Magic Staff, the Gelding, Feeder, Destroyer, Terror, Wind, God of Men.

21. Odin God of Wisdom: Odin has only one eye. He gave up the other to drink from the fountain of Mimir (memory/knowledge) in Utgard. So he has one eye on this world, one eye in another realm of knowledge. Odin has two ravens, Hugin and Munin. “Thought” and “Memory,” who bring him news from all over the world. His wisdom can be trickiness or betrayal.

22. Odin Odin won the wisdom of runes: I remember I hung on the windswept tree nine whole nights, Stabbed by the spear, given to Odin, myself to myself. Of that tree no man knows what roots it springs from. No bread they gave me, no drink from the horn, down I peered. I took up runes, howling I took them up, And back again I fell.

23. Thor • God of thunder and lightning • Mjolnir (the destroyer) – an ax-hammer that can destroy giants and mountains in a single blow • Has a chariot pulled by two goats. He can kill these goats and eat them and they will come back to life. • Is constantly fighting the World Serpent – Jormungand • He is capable of drinking an ocean

24. Thor To turn from the sinister, deceitful and complex Odin to the simple-minded and straightforward Thor is something of a relief. Thor is a battler; his enemies are the gods’ enemies: giants, monsters and primeval forces. R. I Page Thor is the foremost of the gods. He is called Aesir-Thor or Charioteer-Thor. He is the strongest of all gods and men. He has three valuable properties: The first is the hammer Mjollnir, which the frost-giants recognize the moment it is raised on high! {The second is his belt of strength, the third is his iron gloves.} Sturlesson, Prose Edda Thor’s hammer was a popular good luck talisman in Northern Europe, even in Christian times.

25. Thor Thor is a storm god, a thunder god. Thunder was caused either by his hammer, or by the wheels of his chariot, which was pulled by goats. Images of Thor were used as “flint and steel” to kindle fires. Pillars representing Thor were flung out of sailing ships to mark the currents toward land.

26. Thor God of the People Thor had a lasting popularity among ordinary people. He was a straightforward savior, and his hammer was a protective talisman. His temples proliferated in pre-Christian times, and he was the most-frequently worshipped Norse god. His ring (an arm ring?) represented fidelity to oaths.

27. Thor • Thor’s chief enemies: • Frost-giants. He is frequently in conflict with them. • Iormungand, the World serpent, which Thor fights several times: • Thor fishes it up one time and almost capsizes the boat; his companion cuts the line. • In Utgard, Thor tries to lift it, deceived into thinking it’s a kitten • Thor fights it at Ragnarok.

28. Thor • Typical Thor: • Delight in eating and drinking; humorous stories about these capacities • Not always very bright; often tricked and finding himself in humiliating circumstances (e.g. when he visits Utgard; when he impersonates Freya to get his stolen hammer back.) • Can always be counted on to exert his strength and take care of knotty, difficult problems by brute force.

29. Balder • “The Beautiful” and“The Fair” • All objects on Earth have sworn not to hurt him • Primarily known for his death and resurrection – his death is the first event that leads to Ragnarok • The favorite child of the Asgardians

30. Loki • God of mischief and fire • Trickster - can shape-change and do magic • Giants for parents – sometimes he helps Thor and the other Asgardians, sometimes he’s their enemy. • Responsible for Balder’s death and punished by having snake venom drip on his forehead.

31. Loki • Jormungand (World Serpent), Hel (Ruler of the Underworld), and Fenrir (Massive Wolf) are his children • Will begin Ragnorak

32. Loki To a reader of Snorri, Loki is perhaps the most outstanding character among the Northern gods, the chief actor in the most amusing stories, and the motivating force in a large number of plots. (Davidson) Intelligent, astute to the highest degree, but amoral, loving to make mischief great or small, as much to amuse himself as to do harm, he represents among the Aesir a truly demonic element. Some of the assailants of the future Ragnarok, the wolf Fenrir and the great Serpent, are his sons, and his daughter is Hel. (Georges Dumezil) Loki is a classic trickster figure.

33. Loki & Balder Balder dreamed he would be killed, so Frigg (his mother) made all living creatures swear not to harm him. The gods then enjoyed throwing things at him, since all fell away harmlessly. Loki was jealous. In disguise, Loki found out from Frigg that the mistletoe had not sworn. Then he tricked the blind god Hod into throwing it at Balder, and Balder was killed. The most important tale of Loki is how he arranged the destruction of Balder. There is nothing but good to be said about Balder. He is the best of the gods and everyone sings his praises. He is so fair of face and bright that a splendor radiates from him . . . He is the wisest of the gods, and the sweetest-spoken, and the most merciful, but none of his judgments come true.

34. Bragi • God of poetry and eloquence • Loki calls him “Braggart” and the verb “to brag” comes from his name. • Married to Idun

35. Idun • Goddess of immortality • Keeps the golden apples of youth • Major story deals with a giant who, with Loki’s help, stole the apples, causing the gods to wither

36. Freyr / Frey • God of agriculture, fertility, and plenty • Twin to Freyja (they are VERY close) • Unlike the other gods, Freyr and Freyja are earth dieties • Has a sword that can fight by itself • The boar is his symbol

37. Freyja • Goddess of love and fertility • Twin sister of Frey • Slept with four dwarves to get a flaming necklace, which becomes her symbol of fertility • Leader of the Valkyries • She takes some of the dead warriors for herself • Has a chariot drawn by cats Freyja’s hair

38. Frigg / Frigga / Frea • Mother Goddess • Wife of Odin • Weaves clouds • She knows events in the present and future, but is powerless to change them • Learning of her son’s (Balder) death, she makes everything promise not to harm him – except the mistletoe

39. Tyr • God of war and justice • Precursor of Odin • Boldest of the gods • Lost his hand to Fenrir, Loki’s wolf-son • His symbol is the spear which has become a symbol of justice

40. Heimdall • “World Brightener” • God of the dawn • Great hearing (can hear grass grow) and eyesight • Is the look out on Bifrost (the rainbow bridge to Asgard)

41. Hel • Daughter of Loki • Giantess • Goddess of death and the underworld • Half black/ half white • Her face and body are human but the legs are of a corpse • Spread the plague with a rake or a broom

42. Valkyries and Valhalla • Valkyries are female spirit warriors who ride the battlefields and find worthy slain warriors to take to Valhalla where they will train until Ragnarok. • The northern lights are light shining off of their shields • Valhalla is the Hall of the Slain. It exists in Asgard, and every night all these heroes gather together to drink and make merriment.

43. Ratatosk • Let’s not forget the most important character!

44. Ratatosk • Let’s not forget the most important character! • In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry messages between the Veðrfölnir, perched atop Yggdrasil, and the Níðhöggr, who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree.

45. Ratatosk

46. Ratatosk

47. Big Idea • Describe Greek Mythology:

48. Big Idea • Describe Greek Mythology: • Greek myths are unique because they depict a people that had risen above the brutality and savagery of previous eras. • The gods have human characteristics, making them more tangible for the everyday Greek rather than in comprehensible. • This also means the gods can, at times, be unpredictable and subject to change much like humans.

49. Big Idea • Describe Greek Mythology: • Greek myths are unique because they depict a people that had risen above the brutality and savagery of previous eras. • The gods have human characteristics, making them more tangible for the everyday Greek rather than in comprehensible. • This also means the gods can, at times, be unpredictable and subject to change much like humans. • Describe Norse Mythology:

50. Big Idea • Describe Greek Mythology: • Greek myths are unique because they depict a people that had risen above the brutality and savagery of previous eras. • The gods have human characteristics, making them more tangible for the everyday Greek rather than in comprehensible. • This also means the gods can, at times, be unpredictable and subject to change much like humans. • Describe Norse Mythology: • Norse mythology, is often darker and depicts the battle between good and evil, with the eventual destruction of the gods. • Gods are depicted in idyllic ways.