Interested in Norse mythology and don鈥檛 know where to start? We鈥檝e got you covered! Here鈥檚 everything you need to know about the basics of Norse mythology (plus a little more).
Norse mythology聽is full of fascinating stories and complex characters. It鈥檚 no wonder that it has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years.
From Marvel鈥檚 Thor聽movies to Neil Gaiman鈥檚 American Gods (the book聽and the TV series) to Rick Riordan鈥檚 Magnus Chase series, you can't scroll far before stumbling upon something relevant.
However, despite their popularity, the original myths remain shrouded in mystery, with debates raging on what certain events mean, who wrote what, and even whether the stories are the same ones that the Vikings told.
Therefore, we decided to collect all our articles about Norse mythology into one place in order to give you a basic rundown of the characters, events and locations, and their historical context.
Consider this guide a sort of 聽(but better because no one died while writing this, and you don鈥檛 have to drink anything that Odin vomited up while he was a bird鈥� yes, that is a thing that happened).
Table of Contents
Introducing Norse mythology
The story of Gylfaginning begins with King Gylfi of Sweden travelling to 脕sgar冒r (Asgard) disguised as an old man named 鈥淕angleri鈥� to ask the 脝sir questions about the universe.
He meets 脫冒inn (Odin), who is also disguised and presents himself as as three kings named 鈥淗谩rr鈥� (High), 鈥淛afnh谩rr鈥� (Just-as-High) and 鈥溍瀝i冒i鈥� (Third). Gylfi asks permission to ask his questions and Odin replies:
鈥淪tand forward while you inquire;
The one who recounts shall sit.鈥�
While we won鈥檛 insist that you stand while reading this blog post, we will hopefully answer any questions that you may have about Norse mythology.
Creation: 鈥淓arly of ages, when nothing was鈥︹��
In the beginning, there were only two realms: Niflheimr (Niflheim), the realm of mist and ice, and M煤spellsheimr (Muspelheim), the realm of fire. Between them was Ginnungagap, or the void.
Where the heat and cold from these two realms met, steam was created, which collected in Ginnungagap and eventually created Ymir, the first j枚tun, and Audhumla, the first cow.
Read more: Norwegian Mythology & Folktales
Since these were the first two beings in existence, life must have been a little boring for them. Ymir would pass the time by drinking Audhumla鈥檚 milk and Audhumla would lick a salt block, which eventually took the form of B煤ri, the first of the 脝sir.
B煤ri had a son named Bor, who in turn had three sons: Odin, Vili and V茅. These three brothers then killed Ymir and used his body to create the universe.
The nine worlds of Norse mythology
The Norse universe consists of nine worlds. These worlds are only referenced a few times throughout the myths and are not specified, but are thought to be (in no particular order) Asgard, Vanaheimr (Vanaheim), J枚tunheimr (Jotunheim), Niflheim, Muspelheim, 脕lfheimr (Alfheim), Svart谩lfaheimr (Svartalfheim), Ni冒avellir (Nidavellir), and Mi冒gar冒r (Midgard) – which is our world.
These worlds are connected by a great ash tree named Yggdrasil, which runs through the centre of the universe. An eagle lives at the top of Yggdrasil, while the dragon Ni冒h枚ggr (Nidhogg) lives at the bottom and chews on its roots.
The squirrel Ratatosk runs up and down Yggdrasil鈥檚 trunk, carrying messages between these two creatures – and they鈥檙e not particularly nice messages either.
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In addition to holding everything together, Yggdrasil is also a source of wisdom and is where the 脝sir often gather for meetings. At the foot of the tree is Ur冒arbrunnr (Urd鈥檚 well), which is associated with the three Norns or 鈥渇ates鈥�.
Under another root is M铆misbrunnr (M铆mir鈥檚 well), which is where Odin gave up his eye as payment for a drink in order to gain the well鈥檚 knowledge. It is also thought that Yggdrasil is the tree that Odin hung himself on, again in the pursuit of knowledge.
The Norse Gods
There are two tribes of gods in Norse mythology: the 脝sir and the Vanir.
The 脝sir are the main gods in Norse mythology and live in Asgard. Notable 脝sir include Odin, 脼贸rr (Thor), Frigg, Heimdall, T媒r, Bragi, I冒unn (Idunn), Baldr, and Loki (though not always).
Not much is known about the Vanir other than that they live in Vanaheim. Notable Vanir include Nj枚r冒r (Njord) and his two children, Freyr and Freyja, who came to live in Asgard as hostages to ensure peace following the 脝sir-Vanir war.
Despite being hostages, Njord, Freyr and Freyja are quickly accepted by the 脝sir. Freyja and Odin even split the souls of dead warriors between them, with half going to Freyja鈥檚 meadow, F贸lkvangr, and the other half going to Odin鈥檚 halls, Valhalla.
Who goes where is decided by the Valkyries, who collect the souls of those 鈥渓ucky鈥� enough to have died in battle and carry them to their destination.
The Monsters of Norse Mythology
The 脝sir and the Vanir may be gods, but they rarely behave well or honorably. Similarly, while this section is entitled 鈥淢onsters鈥�, not all the creatures described here commit monstrous acts.
Aside from the 脝sir, the other main group of characters in Norse mythology are the 闯枚迟苍补谤, who live in Jotunheim. 闯枚迟苍补谤 is often translated as 鈥済iants鈥�, but this is misleading as the majority of them are human sized.
Some 闯枚迟苍补谤 are exceedingly beautiful and some are terribly ugly, and the 脝sir spend most of their time either fighting the j枚tnar or marrying them. Notable 闯枚迟苍补谤 include Ska冒i (Skadi), Ger冒r (Gerd), Surtr (Surt) and Ymir.
Loki may also be classified as a J枚tunn, as his father was a J枚tunn, and Norse mythology is patrilineal, which means that membership to a family or group is decided through the father. However, the topic is not without debate.
In addition to the 闯枚迟苍补谤, are the Lj贸s谩lfar (Light Elves) who live in Alfheim and the D枚kk谩lfar (Dark Elves) who live in Svartalfheim. Little is known about the Light Elves, but 鈥淒ark Elves鈥� may be another name for the Dwarfs, who also live in Svartalfheim.
The Dwarfs are said to have been made from the maggots that ate Ymir鈥檚 dead flesh and live underground in the darkness. This portrayal of the Dwarfs is not particularly flattering, but what they lack in beauty, they make up for in their skill in blacksmithing and crafting.
Read more: Creatures in Norse Mythology
The Dwarfs are responsible for creating some of the 脝sir鈥檚 most valuable possessions, including Mj枚lnir (Thor鈥檚 hammer), Gleipnir (the chains that bind the Fenris-wolf), and Sif鈥檚 golden hair after Loki shaved her bald off as a joke.
However, while the Dwarfs are very useful to the 脝sir, the 脝sir do not value them as equals and are in conflict with them as often as they are in need of their help.
Ragnar枚k: The Twilight of the Gods
It is a common misconception that Ragnarok is the end of the world. Rather, it is the end of the current world order – although this does not make it any more pleasant to go through. According to the v枚lva in V枚lusp谩:
鈥�Brothers will fight,
bringing death to each other.
Sons of sisters
will split their kin bonds.
Hard times for men,
rampant depravity,
age of axes, age of swords,
shields split,
wind age, wolf age,
until the world falls into ruin.鈥�
The 脝sir don鈥檛 fare much better: Odin is killed by Fenrir, who is in turn killed by Odin鈥檚 son, V铆冒ar (Vidar). Thor and J枚rmangand, the Midgard Serpent, kill each other. Surt kills Freyr before destroying Midgard with fire.
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However, after all this death and destruction, a new world rises up. Some 脝sir survive Ragnarok, including Thor鈥檚 sons Magni and M贸冒i (Modi), Odin鈥檚 sons Vidar and Vali, and Hoenir. Baldr and H枚冒r (Hod) also return from Hel and reunite with the others at I冒av枚llr (Idavoll), a field in Asgard untouched by the battle. The human race also continues through two humans named L铆f (Life) and L铆fthrasir (Life Yearner).
In this way, Ragnarok is not just the end of the old, but the beginning of the new.
For an extensive guide to the Norse gods, myths and locations, I recommend John Lindow鈥檚 鈥淣orse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs鈥�, which was extremely useful when writing this article.
The sources of our Norse mythology knowledge
So, where does Norse mythology come from? Are these the stories that the Vikings told each other? The short answer is: we don鈥檛 know.
Before the Christianisation of the Nordic countries, the region was pagan, a term that here refers to a 鈥溾��. Unlike Christianity, Norse paganism was not an organised religion, and was instead personal to the individual. This might explain why we have little to no records of what Vikings believed or how they practised their beliefs.
We do have artefacts from the Viking era that appear to reference Norse mythology, such as , which is thought to depict Thor, or the 鈥淰alkyrien fra H氓rby鈥� figurine, which is thought to be a valkyrie. However, there is no accompanying explanation that confirms that these objects are or what they were used for. Written references to the gods and mythology on runestones are .
Read more: Viking Runes: The Historic Writing Systems of Northern Europe
Our main sources for Norse mythology, and the sources we use to interpret any subsequent findings related to Norse mythology, are the sagas.
While the gods and myths do feature in other Icelandic sagas and poetry, the Eddas are considered to be the most important for our understanding of Norse mythology. However, despite providing answers, the term 鈥渆dda鈥� is a mystery in itself as no one knows what it actually means, with theories ranging from 鈥減oetry鈥� to 鈥済reat-grandmother鈥� to a form of 鈥渒redda鈥� (which means 鈥渟uperstition鈥�).
The Poetic Edda is a collection of mythological poems by unknown authors that mainly come from a manuscript known as the Codex Regius, which is Latin for 鈥渢he King鈥檚 Book鈥�. The Codex Regius is dated to around 1270 but was only discovered in 1643, when it came into the possession of an Icelandic bishop named Brynj贸lfur Sveinsson.
Originally, these poems were thought to have been written by , but this is now thought to be unlikely. The Poetic Edda also contains poems from other manuscripts, such as 鈥淏aldrs draumar鈥� (Baldr鈥檚 dreams), but it is usually up to the translator or editor to decide which poems they would like to include. 聽
If you want to read the Poetic Edda for yourself, I recommend Carolyne Larrington鈥檚 translation.
The Prose Edda is often attributed to Icelandic writer , and therefore also often referred to as the 鈥淪norra Edda鈥�. It is made up of four parts: the Prologue, Gylfaginning, Sk谩ldskaparm谩l, and H谩ttatal.
Versions of this Edda can be be found in : the Codex Regius (14th century) – though this is not the same Codex Regius as the one that contains the Poetic Edda – the Codex Wormanius (14th century), the Codex Upsaliensis (14th century), and the Codex Trajectinus (17th century).
If you want to read the Prose Edda for yourself, I recommend either Jesse Byock鈥檚 translation聽or, for a challenge, Anthony Faulkes鈥� edition in Old Norse.
The Prose Edda is also known as the 鈥淵ounger Edda鈥�, as it cites poetry from an older source. When this poetry was found in the Poetic Edda, it was assumed that this was the poetry that Snorri had used, which is why the Poetic Edda is also known as the 鈥淓lder Edda鈥�. However, this could not be the case, as the Prose Edda came thirty years after Snorri鈥檚 death in 1241. Instead, scholars now believe that both Eddas are based on the same, earlier poetry, though this has not yet been found.
Both Eddas were written around two hundred years after the Christianisation of the Nordic region. And speaking of the Christians鈥�
What鈥檚 Christianity Got to Do with It?
The Christianisation of the Nordic countries was a long process聽and happened relatively late compared to the rest of Europe. It took even longer for pagan practices to die out completely, as many people were happy to adopt the Christian God in addition to聽the Norse ones, but weren鈥檛 as keen to adopt the Christian God instead of聽the Norse ones. Therefore, for a long time, the two religions coexisted in the same space – and often in the same people.
The Christian-Pagan dynamic is present in many sagas. In , both Jesus and Thor are referenced as part of an argument between Thangbrandr, a Christian missionary, and Steinnun, a pagan preacher:
鈥淗ast thou heard,鈥� she said, 鈥渉ow Thor challenged Christ to single combat, and how he did not dare to fight with Thor?鈥�
鈥淚 have heard tell,鈥� says Thangbrandr, 鈥渢hat Thor was naught but dust and ashes, if God had not willed that he should live.鈥�
As history shows, Christianity eventually won as the dominant religion of the Nordic countries. However, without Christianity we might not know about Norse mythology at all.
Pre-Christianisation, stories were passed on by hearing someone tell them rather than reading them in a book. It was the Christians who wrote the myths down, thereby preserving them for future generations.
On the other hand, this also means that we cannot know for sure how much of these myths as we know them have been impacted by Christian beliefs. Strange as it may seem, there are lots of similarities between Christian mythology and Norse mythology.
For example, the character of Baldr, who is the son of Odin and loved by everyone but killed through no fault of his own and sent to Hel – only to return after the apocalypse to rule a new world鈥� stop me if you鈥檝e heard this one before.
A Christian influence can particularly be seen in the Prologue of the Prose Edda, as the author explicitly apologises for his ancestors鈥� pagan beliefs. According to this account, the Norse gods were great (but human) warriors who came from the East, specifically Turkey.
They were so impressive that when they later travelled north to Scandinavia, people mistook them for gods and worshipped them.
Even poems in the Prose Edda that might come from the Viking era, such as V枚lusp谩, may not have escaped a Christian influence, as Christianity was聽around at the time.
Since the myths were passed from person to person, it is possible that there was never 鈥渙ne鈥� correct version of the myths anyway but many different versions, as each storyteller added their own creative spin.
Therefore, it would have been very easy for Christian elements to be incorporated into the myths. It may even have been encouraged聽as a conversion technique, in order to make the transition smoother from paganism to Christianity by presenting the two religions as similar.
While scholars disagree on exactly where the different myths fall on a scale of 鈥淐ompletely Pagan鈥� to 鈥淐ompletely Christian鈥�, the majority agree that it is very unlikely that Christianity had no impact on the myths.
As John Lindow says: 鈥淚f we are to accept that eddic poetry is a pagan myth, we must accept that two and a half centuries of Christianity wrought no changes in the eddic texts. This is of course possible, but it cannot be demonstrated鈥� ().
Modern Day Impact of Norse Mythology
Even though Norse mythology is a web of stories and culture that we may never fully untangle, they are still truly fantastic stories that are loved by a multitude of different people.
However, this love for the Norse myths can sometimes result in people becoming unnecessarily protective of preserving their 鈥減urity鈥� – which is a task doomed from the start since, as shown above, we have no idea whether the Vikings knew the myths as we do.
I, as a whole new generation of people are inspired by and fall in love with the stories.
This is especially true for Norse mythology, which owes its entire survival to adaptation – first by the storytellers who originally told these stories, then by the Christians who wrote them down, and now by the people creating TV shows, movies, books and video games inspired by the Norse gods and their adventures.
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What鈥檚 your favourite Norse myth? Do you have any questions about Norse mythology you would like us to answer? Let us know in the comments below!
Very good intro to norse mythology. When i went looking for sacred sites of norse mythology i came across this website.
I see there and in other places that people use norse and germanic both. Are they the same or is there difference?
Wow! Bloody confusing, but fascinating at the same time. Going to read it again to try and get my head around it all!
Just a lost American with no heritage trying to figure where my blood line came from . Appreciate the information and the the time.
I鈥檓 still very confused but not any fault to you just allot of information 馃馃槉