Norse Mythology

The principle

In the beginning, there was the world of ice Niflheim, and the world of fire
Muspelheim, and among them was Ginnungagap, a "deep void", in
where nothing lived. In Niflheim there was a cauldron called Hvergelmir (the
roaring cauldron), bubbling, and whatever was falling, did so in
Ginnungagap. Upon coming into contact with the void, it transformed into ice,
until, in the end, the ice ended up filling it. The embers of Muspelheim
fell onto the ice, creating large clouds of water vapor, which upon arrival
again to Niflheim, they created a block of ice, in one of which
There was a primitive giant, Ymir, and a giant cow, Auöumbla.
which was nourished by drinking its milk. She licked the ice, creating the
first god, Buri, who was the father of Bor, who in turn was the father of the
the first Æsir, Odin, and his brothers Vili and Ve. Ymir was a hermaphrodite.
and their legs copulated with each other, creating the race of giants.
Then the sons of Bor; Odin, Vili, and Ve; killed Ymir and from his body
they created the world.

AESIR

They lived in Asgadr, the home of the gods

Among others are:

Odin, Wodan, Wodin. Wotan Wod-odin: supreme deity, source of

all good and father of all gods. He was the deity of war, the
sciences and the arts. According to the peoples who worshiped him, he was called
also Wodan, Wodiny Wotan.

Frigg, wife of Odin, the seer.

Thor: God of lightning and thunder, and one of the main deities
from Norse mythology. He was also called Donar; wearing gloves
of iron and owner of a magical belt; god of strength very close to
Odin in hierarchy.
Saga: Goddess who drank with Odin from the cup of wisdom. She was attributed the
invention of history.

Baldur, son of Odin, god of beauty and gentleness.

Tyres the god of combat (it is usually believed that Thor fulfills that role,
but it is not exactly like that). Son of Odin.

Braguies the god of wisdom and eloquence.

Idumesposa of Bragui, who keeps the apples in a case that

the gods will bite when they grow old

Heimdall, son of nine maidens and guardian of the gods; sleeps

less than a bird and the sound of its horn can be heard anywhere
place of heaven or of the earth.

Eirla healer.
Sjöfn leads the thoughts of men towards the
love.

Vardiosa of oaths.

Synla guardian of the gates.

Hodres the mysterious blind god.

Vidares, the taciturn god, but the best for resolving any conflict.
no matter how difficult it is.

Valiés is the god of archers, his aim is unbeatable.

Ulles is the god of hand-to-hand combat.

For the forties, the Ace of concord and friendship.

Loki is the misfortune of all the Æsir and of men; cunning and
Intriguing, unpredictable, and whimsical, he is the god of luck.
.
Vanir
Although the original inhabitants of the sky were the Æsir, they were not the
the only deities that the Nordic races venerated, for they also
they recognized the power of the gods of the sea, of the wind, of the forests and the
forces of nature. They are called Vanir who lived in Vanaheim.
and they ruled their domains as they pleased.
Njord rules the wind, the sea, and fire, and has as his wife Skadi, the
jacket. Frey and Freyjason children of Njord: Frey rules the rain and the sun and
it is invoked to obtain good harvests, represents fertility;
Freyja is the goddess of love.

Sigeles the goddess of the sun, a daughter of Mundilfari and wife of Glen. Everyone
the days, rides through the skies in his chariot, pulled by two horses
The sun is hunted during the day by Skoll, a wolf that wants to devour it. The
solar eclipses mean that Skoll almost caught it. It is destined that
Skoll will catch and devour Sigel; however, he will be replaced by his
sister, the moon, Mani, who is hunted by Hati,
another wolf.

Relationship between Æsir and Vanir

The distinction between Æsir and Vanir is relative. The character is emphasized.
warrior of the first, and peaceful of the second. There are gods that
they belong to both fields, and frequently, assimilations occur
or divisions among deities. For example, in ancient times Frey and Freyja were
two aspects of a single deity, which then separated. Later, the
the popularity of Freyja, the similarity of her names and functions made
that could be confused with Frigg. Some mark a difference regarding the
earthly character of the action of the Vanir. In them we find
skills about planting, climate, and harvests. The character of the
Æsir leaves no doubt that they are gods who deal with issues
spiritual.
An important event between both groups is the peace agreement,
hostage exchange, and the marriages that took place between them
after a prolonged war, which was finally won by the
Aesir. This was how Njord, the Van, came to Asgard to live with
his two children, Frey and Freyja, while Hoenir, the Aesir, the very same
brother of Odin, made Vanaheim his dwelling.
Some scholars have speculated that this story symbolized the way
in which the gods of the Indo-European tribes had supplanted the
gods of nature, older, of the original inhabitants, although
It should be emphasized that this is only a conjecture. Other scholars
they consider that the distinction Æsir/Vanir is nothing more than the manifestation
Norway of a division of the deities in general among the
Indo-Europeans, parallel to that of the Olympians and the Titans in mythology.
Greek.
The Jotuns

The giants or Jotuns (jötnar, iotnar, þurs, eotenas, etc.) are beings
dangerous for men. These can be compared to the titans and
giants of Greek mythology.
They are monstrous and huge beings, but also wise (like Mímir) and
rich, from which the gods benefit in certain circumstances. They are
in the origin of the cosmos (which is formed from the body of Ymir).
There were fire giants and ice giants.

Other supernatural beings:

Nornas

The Norns (nornir) set fate and their decisions result in

irrevocables. Perhaps they were very numerous in the past, but in the era
Scandinavian (when the poems and stories are fixed) are three; Urör
Veröandi (present) and Skuld (future) reside in the roots of
Yggdrasill is weaving the fate of men, especially with a thread of gold,
the one of the heroes.
They are also related to the dísir, led by Freyja.
deities of destiny, a very important concept for these peoples.
Valkyries
They are important female characters. They were beautiful daughters of Odin.
strong warriors with the ability to heal any injury and whose task
it consisted of bringing the fallen heroes in battle to Valhalla. They were
warrior maidens, led by the goddess Freyja.
Dwarves and Elves
Dwarfs (dvergr) are a special race since they are of gender
male and they do not usually reproduce (they are born asexually), they live under
the earth (Svartalfheim)
and their main occupation is mining and metallurgy. They possess wisdom
hidden and sacred that allows them to forge magical weapons for the heroes and
very powerful objects for the gods.
The alfs or elves (álfar), in the Scandinavian era form two groups: the
light elves, who live in the sky and the dark elves who live underground
in mounds and tombs and are poorly distinguished from the dwarfs. Although,
surely at first its importance was greater, later it
they maintained a very devalued position in folk beliefs. The
noble image of the elves, tall and beautiful, fell into oblivion and was passed to the
conception of the elf as a small and mischievous creature, like the one that appears
in the works of William Shakespeare. The relationship with men is
ambiguous and can cause diseases but also favor.
Both races are said to have emerged from the flesh worms of Ymir.

Beasts
Among other supernatural beings that stand out in this mythology are
they find Fenrir,
the giant wolf, and Jömungandr the sea serpent that is found
surrounding the world. These two monsters are described as the
descendants of Loki and the giantess Angerboda.
More benevolent creatures are Hugin and Munin ('thought and memory'),
the two ravens of Odin, who when they return from their travels through all the
worlds whisper in your ear everything they have seen, Ratatosk, the squirrel
that scales the roots of the tree that serves as the axis of the universe, Yggdrasil,
and in which Odin hung from its branches for nine days to obtain
knowledge.

Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil (tree of life) in Norse mythology is a perennial ash.

whose roots and branches keep the different worlds united: Asgard,
the Midgard, Hel, etc. From its root arises the spring that fills the well of
knowledge, guarded by Mimir.
At the foot of the tree is the god Heimdall who is in charge of
protect it from the attacks of the dragon Niöloggr and from a multitude of
worms that tried to corrode their roots and overthrow the gods to the
that this represented. But it also had the help of the Norns.
that they cared for it by watering it with the waters of the Urd well.
A bridge connected Yggdrasil with the dwelling of the gods, the Bifröst (arch
iris
Summon honey and blanket to an eagle that has a falcon between its eyes,
also to 4 deer and to a squirrel, Ratatösk.

Fenrir

At first, it was just a puppy, but as it was fed, it began to

to grow, and soon it was so big that it was impossible to control it. Twice
the gods failed in their attempt to capture him as he escaped with great
simplicity.

The gods of Asgard requested the creation of an unbreakable bond to

the dwarfs. They crafted for them a light and fine ribbon, which nevertheless
no one could break it, as it was made with the meow of the cat,
woman's beard, the roots of the mountain, the tendons of the bear, the breath
of fish and the bird's saliva.
 The gods devised a game in which Fenrir had to allow himself to be bound to
to test if I could break the tape (which they couldn't). Distrustful, due to
To his previous experiences, the wolf consented so as not to be seen as a coward,
on the condition that one of them placed their hand over their mouth throughout the
time that the test will last. Tyr then extended his right hand and
he put it in his mouth. The other gods bound Fenrir, who began to
to struggle, and the gods laughed at seeing their enemy reduced. Only Tyr
he did not laugh because he knew what he was exposed to. Indeed, Fenrir upon realizing
he realized that he had been set up, shut his mouth, and cut off his hand
a Tyr.

The reason for this chaining is that the Aces know that it will be
causing the end of the world. In Ragnarok, when it breaks its prison
millennia and free itself from its chains, the fire and the underground water
they will invade the Earth.

Völvas
Although it seems that a type of clergy has existed, it never took on the character
professional and semi-hereditary of the druidic class. The tradition
shamanistic was maintained by women, the Völvas who practiced
shamanism, banned to a certain extent for men, despite
that there were male practitioners also associated with the völvas
there were the enchantments called galdrar. It was believed that the völvas
possessed such powers, and that even the father of the gods, Odin in
someone consulted one to know the future of the deities, a tale
what is preserved in the Völuspá.

Völuspá: the origin and the end of the world

The origin and eventual destiny of the world are described in the Völuspá (the
Völva's prophecy or the prophecy of Sibyl) one of the most outstanding poems
from the Poetic Edda. These unforgettable verses contain one of the most
vivid accounts created throughout the history of religion and a
representation of the eventual destruction of the world that is unique in its
attention to detail.
Summary: The poem begins with the seer asking for silence from the 'children
from Heimdal (the human beings), and asking Odin if he wishes that
she recites the ancient knowledge to him. She also mentions that she remembers the
giants born in ancient times, who raised her.

Then he begins to tell the myth of creation: in the beginning

the world was empty, until the children of Bor raised the land
from the bottom of the sea. The Æsir then established order in
the cosmos, placing the Sun, the Moon, and the stars in it, beginning
thus the cycle of day and night. Thus followed an age in which the Æsir
they created and accumulated a lot of gold, which is why it was called the Age
Golden, in which they built temples and palaces, and created
tools and artifacts. But then three powerful giants
they arrived from Jotunheim (world of the giants), thus concluding the
golden age. The Aesir then created the dwarves, of whom
Mótsognir and Durin were the most powerful.

The following six stanzas contain the names of the dwarfs.

Then the creation of the first man and the first woman, Ask and
Embla (ash and elm), as well as a description of Yggdrasil, the tree-
world. The seer then narrates how Gulveig (a witch) originated the
first war, and what happened in the struggle between Æsir and Vanir.
The seer reveals to Odin that she knows some of his own secrets,
how he sacrificed one of his eyes in pursuit of knowledge, obtaining the
prophetic head of Mimir.
constantly asks Odin if he wants to continue listening to his narration
; then she tells him how the problems will soon occur: death
of Balder, the best and most beautiful of the gods; the enmity of Loki and the
final destruction of the gods, where fire and floods overwhelm the
sky and the earth, while the gods wage the final battle against their
enemies. Describe the battle spells, the personal struggles of the
gods, and the tragic end of many of them, among which is included the
own Odin.
Finally, a new reborn world will be created from the ashes of the
death and destruction, where Balder will come back to life and the earth will flourish
in abundance.

************

An important problem in the interpretation of this mythology is that the

the closest reports available from the period prior to contact
were written by Christians.
All the sagas come from Iceland. But, even under that climate of
religious tolerance, Snorri was influenced by a viewpoint
essentially Christian and presents Odin as a human military leader
from Asia, who acquires magical powers, conquers Sweden, and upon his death
becomes a demigod. Having diminished the divinity of Odin, Snorri
Then tell the story of the pact that the King of Sweden Aun celebrates.
with him. In order to prolong his life, Aun had to sacrifice his son. More
afternoon in the Heimskringla, Snorri details how the
convert to Christianity just like Olaf Haraldsson (Olaf II the Saint)
forced the Scandinavians to convert to Christianity.

In Iceland, the Icelandic parliament voted in favor of Christianity, but

tolerated paganism in the privacy of each home. Sweden had a series
of civil wars during the 11th century, which ended with the burning
from the Temple of Uppsala.
In England, the Christianization occurred early and sporadically,
very rarely by force. The Christian clergy did everything possible to
to teach the people that the gods were demons, but their success was limited
and the gods never became malevolent in the popular opinion of the majority
part of Scandinavia.

In the city of Bergen, Sweden, many inscriptions were found.

runic inscriptions dating from the 13th century, among which is one of them
He says: 'Thor may welcome you, Odin may be your master.'
another: "Healing runes stalk, saving runes stalk, once against the
elves, twice against the trolls, three times against the jotuns.

Other elements in Norse mythology survived without being

taken as components of it, especially regarding
the supernatural beings in Scandinavian folklore. Some of the
Yule traditions were preserved, such as the Swedish tradition of
to sacrifice a pig at Christmas, which originally was part of the sacrifice
a Frey.

Richard Wagner and the Ring of the Nibelung

Norse mythology has also influenced Richard Wagner who has
used literary themes to compose the famous The Ring of the
nibelungs, a series of four operas.
Its influence has been worldwide. Many fragments of the opera have been
used as background music, for example The Ride of
the Valkyries have been popularized in numerous movies such as in
Apocalypse Now

Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, The Lord of the Rings, is very
influenced by the northern European myths, as admitted by the
own author. As the work became popular, elements of his
fantasy world was continuously entering perception
popular in the fantasy genre. In almost all modern novels
fantastic Nordic creatures such as elves can be found,
dwarves and ice giants. In addition, Tolkien describes his elves
similar to the elves of Norse mythology, and not like those in fairy tales
popular, as it was inspired by multiple legends and Nordic books, such as
the sagas or The Ring of the Nibelungs. Some names that appear in the
book were taken from Norse mythology such as the case of the Wizard
Gandalf, borrowed from a dwarf in Snorri's Eddas, even the plot of
this novel takes place in the so-called Middle-earth, a name
clearly taken from mythological Midgard.
Yggdrasil

The great ash is inhabited at its top by an eagle, along its trunk runs
the squirrel Ratatosk, and under its branches four colts nibble on its
yolks. Three are its main roots; one extends towards the kingdom of
the gods kill, and there is the Urder fountain, where they swim the
fathers of the race of swans, and with whose waters the Norns irrigate the
tree. The Norns who decide the fate of all creatures, and who in
reality is many more than three, descending in some cases from
elves, even of dwarves. Here too the Gods come to preside
the trial.
Another root extends towards the realm of the Giants, and there is found the
source of Mimmer, in which wisdom is found, and in which the same
Odin left his eye as a pledge to take from it. The third one extends
toward the kingdom of cold and darkness, gnawed by countless serpents
(according to dragon versions) among which is Nidhurg.
Heinrich Niedner[1], in his collection of Norse Myths (1915), he writes
about Yggdrasil a reflection very close to meditation;
Its roots are gnawed by snakes and some colts bite its
branches, but nevertheless the immortal tree stands tall and blooms from
year after year (…) it sinks its roots deeply into the realm of Hela or of the
Death; its trunk reaches the heights of heaven, and stretches its branches
about all the universe.(…) Its branches, with their blossoms, and their falls
of leaves - events, sufferings, actions, disasters - there
they extend across all countries and all times. Do they perhaps
each of its leaves is not a biography, each of its fibers an act
or word? (…) But the tree is not the entire symbol; it is linked with the
great waters, with the transparent fountain (...) and to the turbulent rivers that
they circulate in the bowels of the earth. While the calm firmness of
tree and the monotonous noise of the wind through its leaves invite to the
spirit at rest, the incessant activity of the different species of
animals that feed on their branches reminds us of Nature, that
never rests and never tires. The tree sighs and moans under its weight; the
animals move in it and around it (…) each species has its place and
their destiny (...) and while everyone is actively busy, the drops of
dew falls to refresh the earth and the heart of man. (…) There is
several who watch over and care for him; higher beings protect him (...)
everything that has life (...) has its dwelling in this tree and its work for
carry out.
The image of Yggdrasil articulates a worldview in which nothing remains
excluded, a perfect order in which each element has a function
own, coordinated with the rest, in which the positive aspects and
negatives are balanced. It links the sky from its unfathomable heights, with
the darkest depth; what is to come with what was first, and
links the different species of nature; animals, spirits and
gods.
This journey we undertake while contemplating the great tree, whose spirit
it also embodies the Yule tree; this awareness that there is a
suitable place for each element, where it fulfills a function
necessary, it is an exercise that, in one way or another, has been practiced to some extent
length of time. We see it in a more immediate way in the practice of
rooting. Yggdrasil is a symbol of order that is
keeps for balance, a powerful image to learn to
to focus, to deepen, and to grow, in order to interact in a healthy way,
useful, and wise, with our environment. It is a sacred place in our souls to
that we can rely on, and find everything we need to
move forward.

Odin

Odin and his brothers, Vili and Ve, are credited with the death of Ymir, the
primordial giant, in the creation of the world. From the flesh of Ymir, the
brothers created Midgar and from the fragments of their bones and their
teeth made the rocks and stones. From Ymir's blood they created the
rivers and lakes. With his skull the sky was created, secured at four points
by four dwarfs: East, West, North, and South. From the brain of Ymir,
the clouds formed and from their eyebrows the barriers were created between the
Jotunheim (the home of the giants) and Midgard, the place where now
men inhabit.
After creating the Earth with the remains of Ymir, the three brothers
found with two logs (or an ash and an elm). Odin gave them the
breath and life; Vili gave them a brain and feelings; and Ve gave them hearing
and the sight. With this, the trunks became the first man, Ask, and
the first woman, Embla, and from them all descend
men. Many kings and royal houses proclaimed their descent until
Odin through Ask and Embla.

The wisdom of Odin is the fruit of knowledge, magic, and poetry, everything
at the same time. He is knowledgeable about the mysteries of the nine worlds and of their

origins, but also of the destiny of each one of the men, as well as
of their own destiny and that of the universe.

Odin ventured to the well of Mimir, near the land of the

giants under the guise of a wanderer named Vegtamr. Mimir that
he watched the well, to allow him to drink from it he asked him to sacrifice his
left eye, being this a symbol of his will to obtain the
knowledge. While drinking, he saw all the suffering and the problems that
men and gods should endure, but he also glimpsed the for
what was necessary for this to happen.
The sacrifice of the greatest of all gods is a recurring theme in the
Norse mythology. Odin's eye remains at the bottom of that well,
from which Mímir himself drinks every day. From that mutilation
self-inflicted derive the epithets of Bileygr ('one-eyed') and Báleygr ('eye')
missing). Odin keeps the head of Mimir, who was beheaded by the
Vanir during his confrontation with the Aesir and manages to make her speak by
through magic, being an inexhaustible source of knowledge that grants him
reveals the news of what is happening around the world.

By drinking the water from the well, Odin attained the wisdom he so desired.
Upon returning from the well, he tore a branch from the Yggdrasil tree and from that point on
she made her spear Gungnir. It wasn't long before Odin
the price that wisdom demands from those who possess it. I could
to clearly see the transient nature of the universe and even its destiny
tragic of the gods when Ragnarok arrives. He realized that
nothing was permanent, that everything would eventually perish. The weight of his
wisdom made her normally cheerful demeanor become saddened; to
From then on, it would be that of someone who has seen their own fate. This was
the reason why Odin only drank mead and beer, and never ate.
Since the fate of the universe was clear to him, Odin needed to
a great comfort, and hence their strict diet of alcoholic beverages.

Odin knows the secret of the runes. These are the language of poets and
the carved characters in wood, stone, the blades of the swords, the
vessels of the horses and they are the origin of all knowledge and of each
Strength. Odin acquires this knowledge by becoming the first.
Erilaz, or "wise one of the runes".
In fact, to learn the art of runes and divination, he hung himself
from a tree (Yggdrasil) pierced by his spear for nine days and
nine nights, in a sacrifice that was offered to himself.

According to Hávamál, in the section known as Rúnatal:

I know I hung on a tree swayed by the wind

nine long nights
wounded with a spear and dedicated to Odin,
I have offered myself,
in that tree whose roots no one knows the origin of.
They didn't give me bread, nor to drink from a horn,
I looked into the depths,
I took the runes
I took them amidst screams,
then I collapsed to the ground.