Norse Mythology: Difference between revisions

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.

** Someone—possiblySomeone — possibly [[Fred Saberhagen]]{{verify}}—subverted — subverted this with a short story in which Odin's ravens take another look at the murder of Baldur ... and conclude that Loki was framed: the killing was actually by a giant, to cover up that ''the prophecy of Ragnarok is false'', faked by the gods' enemies to demoralize them. The giants are still building up their strength to invade, but it is ''not'' truly certain that the gods will be wiped out in the "prophesied" manner. As the story's last line states, they're very, very heartened to learn that "now they need not die!"