Norse Mythology: Difference between revisions

[[File:Thor2.jpg|frame|A typical day of awesome smiting for resident god Thor.]]

 

 

The Norse Mythology is a collection of stories derived from Germanic roots, following the lives of the Norse gods -- the Æsir and the Vanir -- and the men whose lives they directly affected. At its height, the mythology covered most of northern Europe, much of modern Germany and Austria, and parts of the British Isles; it lasted longest in Scandinavia and Iceland, however, which produced most of its surviving texts. It is a branch of the Proto-Indo-European mythological tradition, which also spawned the Celtic, Greek, and Vedic pantheons; it's distinguished from those myths, however, by the fact that its gods are not only fallible but also all mortal. They could, and did, die. Like most traditional polytheistic systems, it has no set canon and in some ways resembles a body of customary beliefs more than a set religion. It has been speculated that only chieftains and other wealthy people held faith in the Aesir, while the common farmers believed in land-spirits such as trolls and giants.

By the way, note that this page is called Norse Mythology, not Viking Mythology. Originally the word ''viking'' meant the act of faring overseas and the sailor participating, while in English it denotes a profession meaning something like "[[Pirate]]." Only a minority of Norsemen were Vikings.

 

 

* [[Gotterdammerung]]: ''Sort of''. In German, the term means "Twilight of the Gods," while the original word ("Ragnarök") meant "destiny/fate of the gods."

* [[Hell]]: Named after Hel. This word was applied both to the Germanic underworld ''and'' to the goddess who ruled over it. The Anglo-Saxons later used the name for the Christian underworld.

* [[The World Tree]]

 

* [[Adam and Eve Plot]]: After Ragnarök, two people (Lif and Lifrasir) survive and begin the world anew.

** And we have Ask and Embla the two first humans crated from ash and elm wood that one of the gods found on a shore.