More From Norse Mythology

Aesir The collective name for the the principal race of Norse gods; they who lived in Asgard, and with the All-Father Odin, ruled the lives of mortal men, the other was the Vanir. The Aesir gods under the leadership of Odin, included Balder (god of beauty), Bragi (god of eloquence), Forseti (god of mediation), Freyr (god of fertility, who originally was from the Vanir), Heimdall (guardian of the bridge), Hod (the blind god), Loki (god of fire and ally of the frost giants), Njord (the sea god, and another ex-Vanir), Thor (god of thunder), Tyr (god of war), Vili (brother to Odin), Ve (brother to Odin), and Vidar (Odin's son). The goddesses included Freya (the fertility goddess), Frigg (Odin's wife), Sif (Thor's wife), and Idun (keeper of the apples of youth). Aesir might be derived from the old-Teutonic word Ase, the common word for "god". Old Norse: Æsir



Alfheim Alfheim ("elf home"), in Norse mythology, is one of the nine worlds. It is located on the highest level of the Norse universe. Also found on this level are the worlds of Asgard and Vanaheim. Alfheim is the palace of the god Freyr and the homeland of the elves of light. Neither the elves of light nor the elves of darkness, who live in Svartalfheim, participate in any of the events described in the Norse myths. Elves do, however, have active roles in the literature of quite a few of the other branches of Indo-European mythology.

Alfhild A maiden who dressed as a warrior to avoid being taken in marriage by King Alf. Only when they engaged in a fight to the death (almost), and he proved to be as strong as she, did she agree to mate with him.



Alfrodull Alfrodull is the sun in Norse mythology. "Glory of elfs" is the meaning of the name. Other names were also used. A chariot driven by a girl was thought to be the sun. Two horses pulled the chariot; their names were Arvak and Alsvid. Because she was being persued by the wolf, Skoll, she drove very fast. Before the world ends, she will have a daughter. Then Skoll will eat her, and her daughter will take her place. The sun does not give off light but gives heat. The horse¹s mane gave off light.

Andhrimnir In Norse mythology, Andhrimnir is the cook of the Aesir and the Einherjar. Every evening he slaughters the cosmic boar Sahrimnir and cooks it in his magical cauldron Eldhrimnir. This boar is restored to life the same night to be slaughtered and eaten again the following day. The milk provided by the goat Heidrun, which stands on top of the world tree and eats its leaves, forms the basic ingredient for the mead drunk by the Aesir.

Angrboda A giantess and the mate or mistress of the trickster Loki. Angrboda ("herald of sorrow") spawned three monsters: the gigantic wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent Jormungand, and the goddess of the death Hel. The gods abducted the children from her hall when they learned just how dangerous they were

Asgardreid "Asgard's Ride" or "Asgard's Chase". In Norse (Teutonic) mythology the wild ride of Odin and Frigg. It is still spoken of as being especially active during the dark, stormy Yule nights.



Ask and Embla After Odin and his two brothers Ve and Vili had created the universe and the nine worlds, they walked on the beach where they came upon two logs of wood which were washed ashore. They picked the logs up and give them a humanoid shape. Odin breathed into them the spirit of live, Vili gave them sharp wits and feeling hearts; and Ve bestowed upon them the senses, expressive features and speech. Furthermore, the brothers provided them with names and clothes. The male they named Ask ("ash") and the female the named Embla ("elm"). Ask and Embla became the progenitors of the human race and Midgard was given to them as their residence



Askefruer The Askefruer, or "Ash Maidens," are a northern variation on a common mythological theme: spirits, often depicted as human women, inhabiting trees. The ash tree was particularly important to ancient northerners: the World Tree, the axis about which the world revolved, was the ash tree Yggdrasil.

Audhumla The primeval cow on whose milk the Giant Ymir fed. She was created from the melting ice at the beginning of time. She sustained herself by licking the salt and hoar frost from the ice of Niflheim.

Balmung by Ryan Tuccinardi A magical sword, Balmung, was made by Wayland the Smith. Odin stabbed the Branstock tree, an oak tree in the Volsung palace, with Balmung. Odin then said that he who could pull the sword from the tree is destined to win in battle. Nine of the Volsung princes tried to take the sword, but only the youngest ever got it out. His name was Sigmund. Odin destroyed Balmung in battle but it was reassembled and Siegfried used it against Fafnir.



Bergelmir In Norse myth, Bergelmir was the son of Thrudgelmir and the grandson of Aurgelmir (Ymir). In the enormous amount of blood which flowed freely after Ymir's death, all the frost giants died, except Bergelmir and his wife. Just before the end they climbed into a hollow tree trunk and could thus survive. When things settled down, they became the progenitors of a new, younger race of frost giants



Berserks In old-Norse sagas, they were warriors who dressed themselves in bear skins, to make use of the fear common people had for wild animals. They whipped themselves up to a sort of battle frenzy, biting their shields and howling like animals. They were ferocious fighters and seemingly insensitive to pain while this madness lasted; berserks made formidable enemies. In their rage they even attacked the boulders and trees of the forest; it was not uncommon that they killed their own people. The belief in berserks can be compared with the belief in werewolves; both are magical transformations of humans who assume the shape of an kindred animal.

Bifrost In Norse mythology, Bifrost is the bridge between Midgard, the realm of man, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. Since it is the only way for the giants to enter Asgard it is closely guarded by Heimdall, the watchman of the gods. Bifrost was made of three colors with magic and great skill by the Aesir and is incredibly strong. It is also called Asbru, referring to its makers. At the end of the cosmos, this rainbow-bridge will collapse.



Borghild She is the personification of the evening mist, or perhaps the moon, who kills the light of day. She is the wife of Sigmund. Her myth became part of the dynastic struggles of the Germanic classic, the Volsung Saga.



Einherjar The Einherjar are the heroes who have died with great bravery on the battle fields. These heroes are prepared in Valhalla for the oncoming battle of Ragnarok. In the morning they are woken by the crowing of the cock Gullinkambi ("golden comb"). During the day they train and fight, until they cut each other to pieces. At night they feast at Odin's side and their wounds are miraculously healed. On the day of Ragnarok, the bravest of the Einherjar will march with Odin to battle the frost giants, the enemies of the gods.

Fafnir by Dr Anthony E. Smith The great worm who, in the Old German Tale of the Volsungs, guards the treasures of light, and is slain by Sigurd.

Ginnungagap Ginnungagap ("seeming emptiness"), in the cosmology of Norse mythology, is the primordial void separating Niflheim and Muspell, the land of eternal ice and snow and the land of eternal heat and flame. In the beginning, before the world of men and gods existed, the spring Hvergelmir, deep in the frozen wastes of Niflheim, gave rise to eleven rivers known as the Elivagar. Over a long period of time, water of the Elivagar ran across Niflheim and poured into the northern part of Ginnungagap. The water froze, forming vast sheets of ice in the void. Hot air from Muspell melted some of the ice, creating a zone of meltwater amid the ice and snow. Here life began, and the first living thing was a frost giant.



Gladsheim Gladsheim ("place of joy") is the hall of the gods in Asgard, situated on the plain of Ida. Odin presides there but also each of the twelve main gods has a high seat there. Gladsheim is where the gods meet to make important decisions. It is also the inner citadel or sanctuary of Asgard, just as the Acropolis was the sanctuary of ancient Athens.



Gullveig Gullveig ("goldbranch") is the sorceress and seeress who had a great love and lust for gold. She talked of nothing else when she visited the Aesir. They listened with loathing and eventually thought the world would be better off without her so they hurled her into the fire. She was burned to death, but stepped from the flames unscathed. Three times she was burned, and three times she was reborn. When the Vanir learned about how the Aesir had treated Gullveig they became incensed with anger. They swore vengeance and began to prepare for war. The Aesir heard about this and moved against the Vanir. This was the first war in the world. For a long time the battle raged to and fro, with neither sides gaining much ground. Eventually the gods became weary of war and began to talk of peace. Both sides swore to live side by side in peace.

Gullveig is also known under the name of Heid ("gleaming one"). She is probably the goddess Freya, who also has a great love of gold in the various myths. Gunnar In the Saga of the Volsungs, Gunnar is the brother of Gudrun, who swears to marry Brunhilde by riding through fire to her dwelling. But it is in fact Sigurd who performs the feat, in Gunnar's shape

Huginn and Muninn In Norse myth, Huginn ("thought") and Muninn ("memory") are the two raven of the chief god Odin. Each morning Odin sends forth these raven and they fly over the earth. At night they return and sit on his shoulders to tell him what they heard and saw





Hymir Hymir is a sea giant, the husband of Hrod, who lives at edge of the heaven. He possessed an enormous cauldron which the Aesir coveted to brew beer in and Thor was sent to obtain it. In the final battle against the gods, Hymir will sail the terrible ship Naglfar, which is made entirely from the nails of the dead. The flood that precedes Ragnarok will free the ship after which the giants will board it and, with Hymir as commander, sail towards the battlefield of Vigrond

Jarl On his third and last journey, the god Rig reached a beautiful mansion. The inhabitants were Fadir and Modir, Father and Mother. They offered Rig an excellent meal with plenty of food and wine, and used their finest tableware. At night, Rig slept between his hosts and nine months later Modir gave birth to a handsome, intelligent son. They named the boy Jarl ("earl"), and he was the first of the race of warriors. When Jarl reached manhood, Rig taught him the runes, the magic words that can calm the sea, extinguish flames, and blunt the edge of an enemy's sword. Rig also taught Jarl to speak the language of the birds. Before returning to Asgard, Rig explained that he was, in fact, Jarl's true father. After Rig had departed, Jarl left the hall of Fadir and Modir, built a hall of his own and recruited a band of followers. Together Jarl and his warriors besieged and won eighteen halls. He then sought and won the hand of Erna, fair daughter of the chieftain Hersir. Jarl and Erna had eleven sons.

Karl On his second journey, the god Rig came upon a well-maintained house, owned by an artisan and farmer. The man and woman who lived there were Afi and Amma, Grandfather and Grandmother. They offered him a decent meal and let him sleep between them in their bed. Nine months later, Amma gave birth to a son, whom they named Karl ("churl"). Karl married Snör, and they had twelve sons and ten daughters. Their descendants formed the race of peasants.

Landvaettir Norse guardian spirits of a place or country

Lif and Lifthrasir After the final, terrible battle at Ragnarok the entire cosmos will be destroyed. The only humans who will survive this destruction are Lif ("life") and Liftrasir ("eager for life") because they hid themselves in Hodmimir's Forest, the forest that the flaming sword of the fire-giant Surt cannot destroy. There they sleep through the destruction of the earth and when they awaken, they will find the earth is green and verdant again. Lif and Liftrasir will become the progenitors of an new race of humans, and their descendants will inhabit this world.





Mani In Norse myth, Mani is the personification of the moon, son of Mundilfari and brother of Sol, the sun. At night he rides a chariot pulled by horses through the sky, and determines its waxing and waning. Mani is chased by the wolf Hati ("hate"). Whenever the wolf managed to catch the moon, a lunar eclipse would take place. This caused great consternation, and by making a lot of noise people tried to scare the wolf away. A man named Vidfinn had two children named Hjuki and Bil. He sent them to the well Byrgir to fetch a cask of water. When Mani saw the two children he took them away with him to the moon. The two children, together with their cask and pole, can be seen on the face of the moon (the moon spots).



Muspell In Norse mythology, Muspell or Muspellheim ("home of desolation") is a flaming, torrid region, the land of fire far to the south. It is opposed to Niflheim and whose animating beams made the ice in Niflheim melt and created the first living beings. The celestial bodies were made from its sparks which flew out into space. Muspell is ruled by the fire giant Surt, whose wife is Sinmore. At the final battle of Ragnarok Surt will set the World Tree on fire and kill the unarmed god Freyr.



Niflheim Niflheim ("house of mists") is the far northern region of icy fogs and mists, darkness and cold. It is situated on the lowest level of the universe. The realm of death, Helheim is part of the vast, cold region. Niflheim lies underneath the third root of Yggdrasil, close to the spring Hvergelmir ("roaring cauldron"). Also situated on this level is Nastrond, the Shore of Corpses, where the serpent Nidhogg eats corpses and gnaws on the roots of Yggdrasil. After Ragnarok, there will be a hall here for the punishment of murderers, oath breakers, and philanderers.

Nott In Norse myth, Nott is the personification of night, and the daughter of Narvi. Nott was married three times and with each husband she had one child. Her first husband was Naglfari, and their son was Aud. Her second husband was Annar, father of Earth. Her third husband was Delling, the personification of twilight, father of Dagur (Day). She and her son were given horse-drawn chariots by the gods and were placed in the sky to round the world every two half-days. Notts chariot is pulled by the horse Hrimfaxi ("frost-maned") which covers the earth with dew early in the morning.



Sceaf A child-god from the Norse culture. He came across the sea of Denmark in a boat with a sheaf (bundle) of corn beside him and founded a kingdom there. Other versions say that he landed on the island of Scani with a boat full of different weapons and was made king. In both cases, the story is similar to the story of Syld.

Sigurd Sigurd (Siegfried) was the greatest hero in Germanic legend, and central character of the Saga of the Volsungs. He was the foster-son of Regin, who sent him to recover a fabulous hoard of gold. Regin's father Hreidmar had first acquired this treasure, which once belonged to the dwarf Andvari. To get their hands on the gold Regin and his brother Fafnir had then killed Hreidmar, but Fafnir wanted the treasure for himself and turned into a dragon to guard it. Regin wished to possess the treasure which his brother guarded, and to this end forged a great sword for Sigurd, but it broke the first time it was tested, and Sigurd had his father's sword reassembled and re-forged, and Gram stood every test. By cunningly stabbing the monster from underneath, Sigurd succeeded in slaying Fafnir, thus gaining both wealth and wisdom (by licking the blood of the slain dragon), since Fafnir was said to have understood the language of birds. When he realized that Regin intended to kill him for the gold, Sigurd slew him before carrying it away himself.

Sigurd then went to free the Valkyrie maiden Brunhilde, who lay in a magical sleep, cast there by Odin, for daring to rise above his wishes. But Brunhilde had sworn only to marry the man who could ride through the fire that surrounded her dwelling. Gunnar wanted her, but could not perform the feat, but Sigurd in Gunnar's shape did so. Thus Brunhilde agreed to marry Gunnar





Sol In Norse mythology, Sol is the sun goddess, daughter of Mundilfari. She is married to Glen. Sol rides through the sky in a chariot pulled by the horses Alsvid ("all swift") and Arvak ("early riser"). Below their shoulder-blades the gods inserted iron-cold bellows to keep them cool. She is chased during the daytime by the wolf Skoll who tries to devour her, just like her brother Mani is chased by the wolf Hati at night. It was believed that during solar eclipses the sun was in danger of being eaten by Skoll. Both wolves are the offspring of the giantess Hrodvitnir who lives in the Iron Wood. Eventually, the wolf will catch her. The goddess Svalin stands in front of the sun and shields the earth from the full intensity of its heat.

Svadilfari In Norse Mythology Svadilfari was the stallion who helped Blast --a giant disguised as a stonemason-- re-build the walls of around Asgard, home of the Norse gods. While Svadilfari was helping the giant the stallion was lured away by Loki disguised as a mare. Several months later Loki gave birth to the eight-legged Sleipnir.

Sleipnir According to Norse mythology, the wall that enclosed Asgard was destroyed during a war between the Vanir and the Aesir, leaving the gods vulnerable to an attack by the giants. One day, an itinerant stonemason named Blast came to Asgard and offered to rebuild the wall if the goddess Freya would consent to be his wife. He asked for the sun and the moon as well. The gods wanted the wall rebuilt but the terms stated by the mason were outrageous. However, the god Loki proposed a way of outwitting the mason and getting at least part of the wall rebuilt for nothing. The gods agreed to the payment asked by the mason, but only if the work was completed within six months. The mason insisted that he be allowed to use his stallion, Svadilfari, in rebuilding the wall.

The work proceeded much more rapidly than the gods had anticipated and they began to worry that the mason might have to be paid after all. The god Odin threatened to kill Loki if the wall was completed within the allotted time. Loki saw that the mason's horse was doing the heavy hauling and he devised a plan to deprive the mason of the help of his horse. Taking the form of a young mare, Loki lured the stallion into a thicket and made sure that he remained there until the next day. When Svadilfari returned to his master it was too late to complete the work. The mason became so angry that he revealed his true form, that of a rock giant. The god Thor dispatched the giant with a mighty blow of his hammer, Mjollnir.

Months later, Loki returned to Asgard. He brought with him a gray colt with eight legs, the foal of Loki the mare and Svadilfari the stallion. He gave it to Odin, saying that its name was Sleipnir. The colt could travel over land and sea and through the air.



Thrall On his first of three travels, the god Rig (who is actually Heimdall) came upon a farmstead. In the kitchen sat Ai and his wife Edda, Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother. They were friendly people and offered Rig shelter and food, although the latter was of poor quality. At night, Rig slept between the farmer and his wife, and nine months later Edda gave birth to a son. They named him Thrall ("serf"). Thrall grew up a strong, but very ugly man who was capable of doing hard labor. He married Thir ("drudge"), and they had twelve sons and nine daughters. Their children all received ordinary names and were raised to do the heavy work of farming. Thus the race of serfs was created



Utgard In Norse mythology, the abode of the giants, situated in Jotunheim. Utgard-Loki had his castle here.

Vanaheim Vanaheim ("home of the Vanir") is the land of the Vanir. It is located in Asgard, on the highest level of the universe.

Vanir In Norse myth, the Vanir are originally a group of wild nature and fertility gods and goddesses, the sworn enemies of the warrior gods of the Aesir. They were considered to be the bringers of health, youth, fertility, luck and wealth, and masters of magic. The Vanir live in Vanaheim. The Aesir and the Vanir had been at war for a long time when they decided to make peace. To ensure this peace they traded hostages: the Vanir sent their most renowned gods, the wealthy Njord and his children Freya and Freyr. In exchange the Aesir sent Honir, a big, handsome man who they claimed was suited to rule. He was accompanied by Mimir, the wisest man of the Aesir and in return the Vanir sent their wisest man Kvasir.

Honir however, was not as smart as the Aesir claimed he was and it Mimir who gave him advice. The Vanir grew suspicious of the answers Honir gave when Mimir was not around. Eventually they figured out that they had been cheated and they cut Mimir's head off and sent it back to the Aesir. Fortunately, this betrayal did not lead to another war and all the gods of the Vanir were subsequently integrated with the Aesir. There is not much known about the Vanir of the time before the assimilation





Yggdrasil In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil ("The Terrible One's Horse"), also called the World Tree, is the giant ash tree that links and shelters all the worlds. Beneath the three roots the realms of Asgard, Jotunheim, and Niflheim are located. Three wells lie at its base: the Well of Wisdom (Mímisbrunnr), guarded by Mimir; the Well of Fate (Urdarbrunnr), guarded by the Norns; and the Hvergelmir (Roaring Kettle), the source of many rivers. Four deer run across the branches of the tree and eat the buds; they represent the four winds. There are other inhabitants of the tree, such as the squirrel Ratatosk ("swift teeth"), a notorious gossip, and Vidofnir ("tree snake"), the golden cock that perches on the topmost bough. The roots are gnawed upon by Nidhogg and other serpents. On the day of Ragnarok, the fire giant Surt will set the tree on fire.

Other names for the tree include: Ask Yggdrasil, Hoddmimir's Wood, Laerad and Odin's Horse.



Source Mythology Of The Norsemen



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