NORSE

MYTHOLOGY
 Norse mythology
• The religion of the Scandinavian regions, pre-Christianity.
These tales are important, as they come from the Anglo-
Saxons, the originators of the English language. Their stories
followed them to England.

• There are nine separate worlds, each one being the home of
a different race: the gods’ home Asgard, the humans’ home
Midgard, the giants’ home Jötunheimr, etc.

• (The races and many of

the terms used in Lord of
the Rings come from Norse
mythology.)
Yggsdrasil – the World Tree
The nine realms are:
Humans – Midgard
Asgardian Gods – Asgard
Vanir Gods – Vanaheim
Ice Giants – Jotunheim
Elves – Alfheim
Dark Elves – Svartalfheim
Dwarves – Nidavellir
Demons – Muspelheim
the Dead – Hel
 Odin
• Chief of the gods

• Father of Thor, Balder, and

other gods

• Odin pierces himself with a

spear and hangs on Yggdrasil
for 9 days and nights to learn
the secret knowledge of runes

His two ravens are called Huginn and

• Has one eye because he Muninn (Thought and Memory)
traded it for a drink from the
spring of ALL KNOWING
Valkyries and Valhalla
• Valkyries are female spirit
warriors who ride the
battlefields and find worthy
slain warriors to take to
Valhalla where they will train
until Ragnarok.

• The northern lights are light

shining off of their shields

• Valhalla is the Hall of the

Slain. It exists in Asgard, and
every night all these heroes
gather together to drink and
make merriment.
 Thor
• God of thunder and lightning

• Mjolnir (the destroyer) – an ax-

hammer that can destroy giants and
mountains in a single blow

• Has a chariot pulled by two goats.

He can kill these goats and eat them
and they will come back to life.

• Is constantly fighting the World

Serpent – Jormungand

• He is capable of drinking an ocean

 Balder
• “The Beautiful”
and“The Fair”

• All objects on Earth have

sworn not to hurt him

• Primarily known for his death and resurrection – his

death is the first event that leads to Ragnarok

• The favorite child of the Asgardians

 Frigga
• Mother Goddess

• Wife of Odin

• Weaves clouds

• She knows events in the present and future, but is

powerless to change them
 Loki
• God of mischief and fire
• Trickster - can shape-change and do
magic
• Giants for parents – sometimes he
helps Thor and the other Asgardians,
sometimes he’s their enemy.
• Responsible for Balder’s death and
severely punished for it
• Jormungand (World Serpent), Hel
(Ruler of the Underworld), and Fenrir
(Massive Wolf) are his children
…and he gives birth to an eight-legged horse.
• Will begin Ragnorak
 Freyr and Freyja
• Twins

• God and Goddess of

fertility

• Gods who reign in Midgard

(on Earth with mankind)

• She leads the Valkyries, he

has a sword that can fight on
its own.
 Heimdall
• “World Brightener”

• God of the dawn

• Great hearing (can hear grass grow) and eyesight

• Is the look out on Bifrost (the rainbow bridge to Asgard)

 Hel
• Daughter of Loki

• Giantess

• Goddess of death and the underworld

• Half black/ half white

• Her face and body are human but the

legs are of a corpse

• Spread the plague with a rake or a

broom