Norse Mythology

Norse mythology is a mythological system coming from the North Germanic Peoples and Old Norse religion. Norse (or Nordic or Scandinavian) mythology contains stories of gods, creatures and humans derived from various sources such as folk tales and the medieval scripts such as the Sagas and Eddas, as well as archaeological evidence such as rune stones. The myths include differing types of gods such as the Aesir and the Vanir, locations such as the Nine Worlds including Asgard and Vanaheim, and various elements to explain creation, the afterlife and the end of times in Ragnarok.

Artists impression of Norse giantedd , Skaði or Skadi

18 May, 2019 - 23:04 dhwty

Skaði, The Norse ‘Giantess’ with a Godly Vendetta

In Norse mythology, Skaði (also anglicized as Skadi, Skade, or Skathi) is a giantess and goddess. She is most often associated with winter. Apart from that, Skaði is also connected with hunting,...

Norse Mythological tree

10 May, 2019 - 18:32 Andreas Kornevall

The Norse Legend of the World Tree - Yggdrasil

In 1643 a Bishop called Brynjolf Sveinsson was given 45 pieces of vellum containing poetry and prose from the heart of ancient Northern European indigenous culture. This collection is called The King...

Viking Bjorn Ironside

25 April, 2019 - 22:11 dhwty

Bjorn Ironside: Son of Famed Viking Ragnar Lodbrok Became Legendary King of Sweden

Bjorn Ironside was a famous Viking leader who legends say ruled Sweden as the first king from the House of Munsö. He lived during the 9th century AD and his father was the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok...

Ragnar Lothbrok

7 April, 2019 - 22:12 Theodoros Karasavvas

Ragnar Lothbrok: A Real Viking Hero Whose Life Became Lost to Legend

Ragnar Lothbrok was a fearless Viking hero who ransacked England and France and fathered the Great Heathen Army. However the historicity of the man with “hairy breeches” is subject to debate. Where...

Ivar the Boneless

24 March, 2019 - 11:28 Riley Winters

Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider

One would expect "boneless" to describe a man without a lick of bravery. Or perhaps a man without a shred of compassion in a heart of ice. Yet in the case of the infamous Ivar the Boneless, son of...

Fenrir wolf

17 March, 2019 - 16:29 Riley Winters

Fenrir: The Monstrous Wolf of Norse Legend

One of the three children of Loki by a giantess (jötunn ) named Angrboða, Fenrir plays an imperative, though short, role in Norse mythology. A wolf of remarkable size and strength, Fenrir has one...

A Viking warrior with an axe. Eric Bloodaxe raided around Britain before settling in to a kingship there.

16 January, 2019 - 01:42 dhwty

Eric Bloodaxe: Murderous Viking King of Norway and Northumbria

Eirik was a stout handsome man, strong, and very manly, —a great and fortunate man of war; but bad-minded, gruff, unfriendly, and silent. -Saga of Harald Fairhair Eric Haraldsson, nicknamed Eric...

Hell - Unknown Master - Portugal - 1st third of 16th century. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga

29 August, 2018 - 18:01 ashley cowie

Where on Earth is Hell, Or Is It in Our Minds?

One of the most common fears shared by most humans at some time in their lives, is what will happen to them after they die? Many parents freeze when their children ask this question and avoiding the...

Vikings on a ship.

15 August, 2018 - 18:52 Veronica Parkes

Hastein: A Notoriously Vicious Viking Raider…Not So Good At Navigation

Described as “fierce, mightily cruel, and savage, pestilent, hostile, sombre, truculent, given to outrage, pestilent and untrustworthy, fickle and lawless” by his contemporaries, Hastein was one of...

The one-eyed Odin with his ravens Hugin and Munin and his weapons. An illustration from an 18th-century Icelandic manuscript.

28 April, 2018 - 14:02 Caleb Strom

The Saga of Gestumblindi and Odin’s Riddles

In mythology, riddles are used to test the intelligence and wisdom of mortals. They can contain elements of everyday life, but they can also contain elements from lore that would only be known by...

Valhalla

25 April, 2018 - 19:00 Caleb Strom

Denizens of Valhalla and the Transient Afterlife of Norse Myth

The ancient Norse were one of the few cultures to create a mythology that did not necessarily promise eternal life of any kind for the souls of the deceased. The world was believed to be heading...

‘Idun and the Apples’ (1890) by J. Doyle Penrose.

15 April, 2018 - 14:01 dhwty

Idunn: The Rejuvenating Goddess that Keeps Norse Deities Young

Idunn (Iðunn) is one of the most important goddesses in Norse mythology. The name of this goddess has been variously translated to mean ‘The Rejuvenating One’, ‘Ever Young’, and ‘Rejuvenator’, which...

What did this ring with two wolf heads symbolize to the Viking who wore it?

14 April, 2018 - 01:46 ancient-origins

Two Wolves Entwined: What did this Viking Ring Symbolize?

By ThorNews In the autumn of 2015, a unique Viking Age spiral ring with two wolf heads was found in Goa in Randaberg, Western Norway. Does the ring show Odin’s two wolves, Geri and Freki – or is it...

Thor and the Midgard Serpent, by Emil Doepler, 1905.

11 April, 2018 - 19:01 dhwty

Thor: How a Norse Warrior God of Thunder Handles a Predicament

Thor is one of the most important gods in the Norse pantheon. He’s normally depicted as a middle-aged man with a red-beard wielding his famous weapon, a magical hammer known as Mjollnir...

Heimdall blowing Gjallarhorn

9 April, 2018 - 23:03 dhwty

Heimdall, Watchman of the Gods, Will Sound the Horn as Ragnarok Approaches

Heimdall is a god in the Norse pantheon, most well-known for his task to announce the coming of Ragnarok by sounding his horn, which will be heard across all worlds. He is one of the better-known...

‘Nótt riding Hrímfaxi’ by Peter Nicolai Arbo. Nótt is the daughter of a jötunn from Jötunheimr by the name of "Norfi or Narfi."

6 April, 2018 - 22:59 dhwty

A Jotunn Did Not Have to be Giant to be a Big Problem for Norse Gods

The jötnar (plural for jötunn) are a race of beings found in Norse mythology. The word jötnar is often translated into English to mean ‘giants’, though this is somewhat misleading, as not all of the...

Tyr, Gleipnir and Fenrir.

5 April, 2018 - 02:00 dhwty

Tyr: The Norse God of Law and War Breaks a Promise

The Norse god Tyr is not very well-known, at least when compared to such names as Odin and Thor. But he is also part of the Aesir tribe in the Norse pantheon and Tyr could be called the bravest of...

Folkvangr.’

9 March, 2018 - 18:58 dhwty

If Not Valhalla, Goddess Freyja Welcomed Viking Warriors to Folkvangr

Folkvangr (translated from Old Norse to mean ‘field of the people’, ‘field of the warriors’, or ‘field of the hosts’) is one of a few places where the dead could go to their afterlife in Norse...

The character Hvitserk, probably a nickname for Halfdan Ragnarsson, in the series Vikings.

2 March, 2018 - 18:57 dhwty

Halfdan Ragnarsson: Viking Commander and King of Dublin

Halfdan Ragnarsson was a Viking who lived during the 9th century. He is best remembered for being one of the commanders of the Great Heathen Army which invaded the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England...

Skyrnir and Gerda - Illustration by Harry George Theaker (1920).

1 March, 2018 - 01:57 dhwty

Freyr and Gerd: Lovesick Norse God Seeking Giantess

There is a well-known Norse myth which tells of how the Vanir Freyr fell in love with the giantess Gerd, wooed her, and eventually convinced her to marry him. She was not any easy catch - many...

Artist’s representation of Vanaheimr.

25 February, 2018 - 22:52 Riley Winters

Where is Vanaheimr, Land of the Norse Nature Gods?

In a realm of nine worlds, one might assume that the gods would be satisfied with one. One world where they could live away from humans and watch over their antics as one might watch a TV show. In...

‘Njord god of the sea’. (Deriv.)

19 February, 2018 - 23:02 dhwty

Njord: The Tumultuous Marriage of a Norse God of the Sea and a Goddess Giantess

Njord was the god Norse sailors and fisherman turned to in times of need. He was a sea god with powers over the wind and the fertility of land along the coast. But what this deity is best remembered...

The ride to Asgard" by Peter Nicolai Arbo. 1872.

22 October, 2017 - 18:56 ancient-origins

The Twelve Most Important Gods in Norse Mythology

BY THORNEWS In the beginning there were only native forests and wasteland. The Aesirs, one main group of Norse gods, cleared places to stay, both for themselves and the humans. They named the human’s...

Ior Bock.

14 August, 2017 - 19:00 Caleb Strom

The Ior Bock Saga: Is Everything We Know about History Wrong?

There are many disagreements among scholars regarding historical events and individuals, however there is a consensus that most historians follow - a mainstream view of world history. At the same...

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