Norse Mythology
Who were the Norsemen? Ancient Scandinavians, traveled primarily from Germany to Norway Denmark Sweden Vikings traveled long distances between 800 and 1066 A.D. to raid and plunder and also to trade with people from other countries; they searched for a better life.
Norse Mythology Recorded mostly in Iceland around 13th Century AD Told orally for centuries prior Never written down fully until after arrival of Christianity Used Rune stones to document some of the myths in Runes Christianity brought Paganism in Norse regions to an end in 1000 A.D.
How Did Norse Mythology Come to Us? Snorri Sturluson Icelandic poet and historian Wrote down myths in 1220 A.D. (Prose Edda) Left quite a bit unexplained since the myths were written 200 years after Christianity in Iceland Poetic Edda Author unkown
Norse Mythology Characteristics Germanic/ Scandinavian settlers faced: Long, cold winters and short growing seasons Poor harvests Lack of medical knowledge Violent civilizations Norse myths depict an oppressive environment and unrelenting fate. Norse people’s lives are predetermined, and they must accept their destinies.
Gods and Humans Norse gods possess human characteristics Felt human emotions, fought, married, loved, etc. Rarely interact with humans Only interact with gods and giants (with rare exception) They were NOT immortal Gods and humans are both doomed to die in Ragnarok (the last great battle/ doom of the gods)
Other Norse Creatures Elves: inhabited woods/streams; could be helpful or mischievous Dwarves: lived underground since they could not stand daylight; light turned them to stone Trolls/ Giants: Large and dangerous; lived in mountains
Norse Gods Divided into two categories: Vanir: fertility gods; important to farmers Aesir (ee-sir): warriors; worshipped by fighting men and kings
Chief Aesir Gods Odin (Woden): the god of war, death, poetry and wisdom Thor: god of thunder and bringer of justice and order
Chief Vanir Gods Frey and Freya: Twin brother and sister. God/goddess of fertility Njord: god the sea and the winds and guarded ships and seafarers/ god of fertility Nanna: the moon goddess; wife of Balder (Aesir)
Yggdrasil: The Tree of Life Giant ash tree above nine different worlds and held them in place. Had three huge roots that reached each of three levels Upper Middle Lower
Level 1: Asgard Home of the Aesir gods Each had a magnificent hall of his/her own Odin: Valhalla Connected to Midgard by a rainbow bridge called Bifrost
Level 2: Midgard Earth, inhabited by humans, giants, dwarves, and elves Surrounded by ocean Within the ocean lived Jormungand (giant sea-serpent) body circled around the earth and took his own tail in his mouth.
Level 3: Niflheim The Land of the Dead Gloomy Icy and snowy; eternal darkness Ruled by Hel, the queen of the dead Nine-day trip from Midgard to reach Niflheim guarded by Garm, a bloodstained dog
Texts The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe The Theft of Idun’s Apples The Death of Balder The Theft of Thor’s Hammer Odin’s Search for Wisdom The Twilight of the Gods “The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe,” Page Pg. 208