THINGS ABOUT NORSE GODS
Added on: 16th Jan 2016
THERE ARE NINE WORLDS IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY.
EACH WORLD IS DIVIDED INTO THREE LEVELS.
THE FIRST LEVEL CONTAINS ASGARD, THE HOME
OF THE GODS, AND THE MIDDLE CONTAINS MIDGARD,
THE HOME OF HUMAN BEINGS. MIDGARD IS
CONNECTED TO ASGARD VIA BIFROST,
“THE RAINBOW BRIDGE.
NIFLHEIM, "MIST HOME," IS THE DARKEST AND COLDEST
REGION IN THE WORLD AND WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE
FIRST OF THE NINE WORLDS. IT IS LOCATED IN THE NORTH
AND IT WAS BELIEVED THAT UNDER NIFLHEIM WAS
HELHEIM, HOME OF THE DEAD. ON THE OTHER HAND,
MUSPELHEIM WAS CREATED FAR TO THE SOUTH OF THE
WORLD AND IS A BURNING-HOT PLACE, FILLED WITH LAVA,
FLAMES, AND SOOT. MUSPELHEIM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
THE HOME OF FIRE GIANTS AND DEMONS AND RULED BY
THE GIANT SURT, A SWORN ENEMY OF THE AESIR.
VALHALLA WAS THE HALL WHERE ODIN HOUSED THE
DEAD WHOM HE CONSIDERED WORTHY OF DWELLING
WITH HIM. THIS WAS NOT A REWARD FOR MORAL
BEHAVIOUR RATHER IT WAS A REWARD FOR BEING A
DISTINGUISHED WARRIOR. ODIN COLLECTED THESE
WARRIORS WITH THE PURPOSE OF HAVING THEM COME
TO HIS AID IN HIS FORETOLD STRUGGLE AGAINST THE
WOLF FENRIR DURING RAGNAROK.
OLD NORSE POEMS DEPICT VALHALLA AS BEING
THATCHED WITH SHIELDS AND SPEARS AND GUARDED
BY WOLVES AND EAGLES. IT’S A PLACE OF PERPETUAL
FIGHTING, PRESUMABLY WITH THE INTENTION OF
SHARPENING THE WARRIORS’ SKILLS FOR THEIR
BATTLE AGAINST FENRIR.
HAVING SACRIFICED AN EYE TO RECEIVE WISDOM,
ODIN HAD NO NEED TO EAT, AS WINE WAS BOTH
FOOD AND DRINK TO HIM.
ODIN’S THRONE, FROM WHICH HE SUPPOSEDLY COULD
SEE INTO ALL THE WORLDS, WAS CALLED HLIDSKIALF.
DESPITE BEING KNOWN AS ODIN, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
GOD IN NORSE MYTH HAS MANY NAMES (OVER TWENTY).
EVEN THE NAME SWEDEN COMES FROM “SVIDUR,”
ONE OF ODIN’S NAMES.
THOR IS ONE OF THE THREE MAIN NORSE GODS AND
ARGUABLY THE MOST POPULAR AMONG THE YOUNGER
GENERATION THANKS TO MARVEL COMICS. THE OTHER
TWO ARE ODIN AND FREY.
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