Norse Creation Stories Aesir Asgard Ask and Embla Baldr Bestla Bor Bragi Buri contests Frigg Frost ogres Ganglieri Gefjon Genesis Ginnungagap Gylfi Hel Iceland Midgard Muspell Niflhel/Niflheim Odin oral myth parataxis Ragnarok Rationalization of myth Sif Snorri Sturluson Thor Troy written myth Ymir/Aurgelmir

The Norse Pantheon (also Viking / Scandinavian / Germanic) Balder (Balker)  Freya Freyr Frig Loki Njord Odin (Woden) Thor Tyr For quick ID's see: http://fullmoon_deities.tripod.com/norse.html 1- Woden- Death, poetry, victory 2- Thor- Thunder and war 3- Tyr- War 4- Loki- Evil and fire 5- Balker- Light and beauty 6- Frey- Sun of fertility 7- Idum- Eternal youth

Norse Genealogy Hurstwic. Norse Literature http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/literature/text/literature.htm

Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241) and the Prose Edda http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/ PARATAXIS RATIONALIZATION A 20th century sculpture of Snorri by Vigeland

Study Questions on Norse Creation Stories 1. What would it feel like to live as a believer in the stories Snorri tells? If you worshipped the gods he describes, what would your view of the world be? Would it be better or worse than living under the divine system described by Hesiod and Ovid? 2. Compare what Snorri says in his Prologue about the non-Norse deities with what you have learned from ancient Greek and Roman sources in Chapters 3 and 4. 3. We read that Snorri Sturluson’s recounting of Norse myth (especially in his Prologue) is rationalized. What would cause him to create such an elaborate rationalization? 4. Why are the Aesir so named, and why is this area important to Snorri? 5. Draw a “map” of the world described by Snorri in the Prologue. How does this reflect the events he describes? 6. Compare the world of the Norse to that of the Israelites in Genesis. 7. Compare the description of creation here with those in Genesis and Hesiod. Make a chart that highlights important ideas. 8. What is the parallel to Ginnungagap in Greek mythology? 9. Describe briefly the steps in Icelandic myth leading up to the creation of humans. 10. Explain what it means to say that Snorri rationalized myth in the Prologue of the Prose Edda. 11. Describe Odin's "personality" as a god as evidenced by this section of the Prose Edda. Give at least one example of how he treats humans.

Snorri’s Ptolemaic Universe

The illustration to the right is from the section Gylfaginning (the tricking of Gylfi), showing Gylfi in a contest of wisdom with three Æsir: High-One, Just-As-High, and Third.

Geysir Strokkur For animation see http://fam-tille.de/island/iceland/geysir/1998_extrastrokkur_ani.gif

Ymir Óðin, Vili, and Vé take Ymir's body to the center of Ginnungagap. From his body, they make the world.

Yggdrasil Norse World Tree

Yggdrasil Norse World Tree The Norse World Tree or Yggdrasil is depicted with Odin sacrificing himself as an initiation into the Mysteries as referenced in the Havamal. Above him Ratatosk, the squirrel ferries insults between Niddhog the dragon, the force of destruction in the tree's roots and the Eagle who represents the highest spiritual light. The three Norns are seen as Past, Present and Future as they constantly pour healing waters on the tree's roots to heal the damage of Niddhogg. Below them sits Hel in the Underworld flanked by Asgard with its Rainbow Bridge and Jotunheim with Mimir's head.

Norse Creation Stories Aesir Asgard Baldr Bragi Contests Frigg Frost Ogres Ganglieri Genesis Ginnungagap Gylfi Iceland Midgard Odin Parataxis Rationalization of Myth Snorri Sturluson Thor Troy Ymir/Aurgelmir              Add: Gylfaginning Yggdrasil