"his role in the storm myth and in carnival customs of Koledari shamans. In his role as a trickster god, he is in some ways similar to both Greek Hermes and Scandinavian Loki. He was connected with magic. The word ""volhov"", obviously derived from his name, in some Slavic languages still means sorcerer while in the 12th century Ruthenian epic The Tale of Igor's Campaign, the character of Boyan the wizard is called Veles' grandson. Since magic was and is closely linked to music in many societies, particularly earlier ones, Veles was also believed to be protector of travelling musicians."
"Mjölnir In Norse mythology, Mjölnir (; , ) is the hammer of Thor, the Norse god associated with thunder. Mjölnir is depicted in Norse mythology as one of the most fearsome and powerful weapons in existence, capable of leveling mountains. In its account of Norse mythology, the ""Prose Edda"" relates how the hammers characteristically short handle was due to a mistake during its manufacture. Similar hammers (Ukonvasara) were a common symbol of the god of thunder in other North European mythologies. Modern depictions of Mjolnir are most prevalent amongst practitioners of Heathenry (a modern Pagan religious movement) and white supremacist"
"god Heimdallr and the two will slay each other. Loki is referred to in the ""Poetic Edda"", compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the ""Prose Edda"" and ""Heimskringla"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; the Norwegian Rune Poems, in the poetry of skalds, and in Scandinavian folklore. Loki may be depicted on the Snaptun Stone, the Kirkby Stephen Stone, and the Gosforth Cross. Loki's origins and role in Norse mythology, which some scholars have described as that of a trickster god, have been much debated by scholars. Loki has been depicted in or is referenced"
"Lýtir Lytir (Old Norse ""Lýtir"") is considered a god in Norse mythology and Norse paganism. His name is either related to the Old Norse word ""hlutr"", meaning ""lot, share, foretell"" or ""lýti"" meaning ""blemish"". If the former meaning is assumed, then priests of Lytir would probably have been spámaðr or fortune-tellers. Supporting this etymology is a story about Lytir in ""Hauks þáttr hábrókar"" (in the ""Flateyjarbók"") during which a Swedish king consults the god. Lytir's ceremonial wagon was taken to a sacred place where the god entered it and then taken back to the king's hall, where it was used"
"Lóðurr Lóðurr (also Lodurr) is a god in Norse mythology. In the ""Poetic Edda"" poem ""Völuspá"" he is assigned a role in animating the first humans, but apart from that he is hardly ever mentioned, and remains obscure. Scholars have variously identified him with Loki, Vé, Vili and Freyr, but consensus has not been reached on any one theory. The name's meaning is unknown. It has been speculatively linked to various Old Norse words, such as ""lóð"", ""fruit, land"", ""ljóðar"", ""people"" and ""laða"", ""to attract"". The Gothic words ""liudan"", ""to grow"" and ""laudi"", ""shape"", as well as the German word"
"turn passed it on to Odysseus. In Slavic folktales, the trickster and the culture hero are often combined. Frequently the trickster figure exhibits gender and form variability. In Norse mythology the mischief-maker is Loki, who is also a shape shifter. Loki also exhibits gender variability, in one case even becoming pregnant. He becomes a mare who later gives birth to Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir. British scholar Evan Brown suggested that Jacob in the Bible has many of the characteristics of the trickster:The tricks Jacob plays on his twin brother Esau, his father Isaac and his father-in-law Laban are immoral by"
"to answer questions. Aside from this passage, Lytir is otherwise unattested except in several Swedish place names that might contain elements of his name, such as Lytisberg and Lytislunda. He may be identical to Lóðurr, one of the three gods creating the two first humans Ask and Embla. Lýtir Lytir (Old Norse ""Lýtir"") is considered a god in Norse mythology and Norse paganism. His name is either related to the Old Norse word ""hlutr"", meaning ""lot, share, foretell"" or ""lýti"" meaning ""blemish"". If the former meaning is assumed, then priests of Lytir would probably have been spámaðr or fortune-tellers. Supporting"
"of the best known myths of Norse mythology. Thor, wanting to go to Utgard, the stronghold of the jötunn, traveled with Asgard's trickster god, Loki. Utgard was guarded by Útgarða-Loki, a known master of trickery. Thor and Loki were traveling to Jötunheimr, accompanied by Þjálfi (anglicized as Thialfi) and his sister, Röskva. They arrived to a vast forest and continued their journey through the woods until dark. The four seek shelter for the night and discover an immense building. Finding shelter in a side room, they experience earthquakes through the night. The earthquakes cause all four to be fearful, except"
"the possible fertility-related meanings of Lóðurr's name but otherwise has little direct evidence to support it. Lóðurr Lóðurr (also Lodurr) is a god in Norse mythology. In the ""Poetic Edda"" poem ""Völuspá"" he is assigned a role in animating the first humans, but apart from that he is hardly ever mentioned, and remains obscure. Scholars have variously identified him with Loki, Vé, Vili and Freyr, but consensus has not been reached on any one theory. The name's meaning is unknown. It has been speculatively linked to various Old Norse words, such as ""lóð"", ""fruit, land"", ""ljóðar"", ""people"" and ""laða"", ""to"
"Norse mythology Norse mythology is the body of myths of the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Norse paganism and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Scandinavian folklore of the modern period. The northernmost extension of Germanic mythology, Norse mythology consists of tales of various deities, beings, and heroes derived from numerous sources from both before and after the pagan period, including medieval manuscripts, archaeological representations, and folk tradition. Numerous gods are mentioned in the source texts such as the hammer-wielding, humanity-protecting thunder-god Thor, who relentlessly fights his foes; the one-eyed, raven-flanked god Odin, who craftily pursues knowledge"
"character Thor, based on the Norse god, a magical hammer similarly based on the original Mjölnir plays a major role. The Marvel adaptation endowed the hammer with additional powers not attested in the original myth - especially, that when holding it Thor can fly through air at great speed. Mjölnir In Norse mythology, Mjölnir (; , ) is the hammer of Thor, the Norse god associated with thunder. Mjölnir is depicted in Norse mythology as one of the most fearsome and powerful weapons in existence, capable of leveling mountains. In its account of Norse mythology, the ""Prose Edda"" relates how"
"the source texts. As evidenced by records of personal names and place names, the most popular god among the Scandinavians during the Viking Age was Thor, who is portrayed as unrelentingly pursuing his foes, his mountain-crushing, thunderous hammer Mjölnir in hand. In the mythology, Thor lays waste to numerous jötnar who are foes to the gods or humanity, and is wed to the beautiful, golden-haired goddess Sif. The god Odin is also frequently mentioned in surviving texts. One-eyed, wolf and raven-flanked, and spear in hand, Odin pursues knowledge throughout the worlds. In an act of self-sacrifice, Odin is described as"
"gods were capable of changing sex at will, for example Loki, the trickster god, frequently disguised himself as a woman. In one myth, he turned himself into a mare and, after having sex with the stallion Svaðilfari, he gave birth to a foal. Comparison of a man to a child-bearing woman was a common insult in Scandinavia, and some myths say that Loki is bisexual. Odin was known to use magic only available to women and once seduced the goddess Rind in the guise of a leech woman. In Celtic mythology, no direct representation of gay or lesbian relationships exist."
"(""Glittering Nymph""), which remains very popular and which is frequently sung in renditions by numerous artists. Jofur Jofur (from Old Norse ""Jöfurr"": ""wild boar"") is a name used in Nordic literature for the thunder god, mainly as a synonym for Jupiter. Jofur probably originated in the writings of the 17th-century Swedish scientist and writer Olaus Rudbeckius, and has since been used in Nordic poetry, mainly during the Baroque and Rococo eras. Jofur (as a god) does not appear in Norse mythology, even though the word was also used as an honorary title for kings and heroes. The most famous use"
"(or aesir, as they were called) worth mentioning are the thunder-god Thor and the love-goddess Freya. Most information about Scandinavian mythology is contained in the old Norse literature including Norwegian literature, the Eddas and later sagas. Other information comes from the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus with fragments of legends preserved in old inscriptions. Unfortunately, we know relatively little about old religious practices in Norway or elsewhere as most of the knowledge was lost in the gradual Christianisation. Due to nationalistic movements in the late 18th century, Norwegian scholars found renewed interest for Norse religion, translating many of the myths to"
"through the sky. The leader of the wild hunt is frequently attested as the god Wodan (Norse Odin), bearing (among many names) the names ""Jólnir"", meaning ""Yule figure"", and ""Langbarðr"", meaning ""long-beard"", in Old Norse. Wodan's role during the Yuletide period has been theorized as having influenced concepts of St. Nicholas in a variety of facets, including his long white beard and his gray horse for nightly rides (compare Odin's horse Sleipnir) or his reindeer in North American tradition. Folklorist Margaret Baker maintains that ""the appearance of Santa Claus or Father Christmas, whose day is the 25th of December, owes"
"Draupnir In Norse mythology, Draupnir (Old Norse ""the dripper"") is a gold ring possessed by the god Odin with the ability to multiply itself: Every ninth night, eight new rings 'drip' from Draupnir, each one of the same size and weight as the original. Draupnir was forged by the dwarven brothers Brokkr and Eitri (or Sindri). Brokkr and Eitri made this ring as one of a set of three gifts which included Mjöllnir and Gullinbursti. They made these gifts in accordance with a wager Loki made saying that Brokkr and Eitri could not make better gifts than the three made"
"religion. Old Norse religion was polytheistic, entailing a belief in various gods and goddesses. Norse mythology divided these deities into two groups, the Æsir and the Vanir, who engaged in an ancient war until realising that they were equally powerful. Among the most widespread deities were the gods Odin and Thor. This world was inhabited also by various other mythological races, including giants, dwarfs, elves, and land-spirits. Norse cosmology revolved around a world tree known as Yggdrasil, with various realms existing alongside that of humans, named Midgard. These include multiple afterlife realms, several of which are controlled by a particular"
"their mining and smithing. Together they forge a magical restraint Gleipnir for the purpose of binding the wolf. Such undertakings mark Skirnir as a crafty servant. Skírnir In Norse mythology, Skírnir (Old Norse ""bright one"") is the god Freyr's messenger and vassal. In the ""Poetic Edda"" poem ""Skírnismál"", Skírnir is sent as a messenger to Jötunheimr to conduct lovesick Freyr's wooing of the fair goddess Gerðr on condition of being given Freyr's powerful sword as a reward. The coy goddess refuses the advances until Skírnir threatens Gerðr with his ""gambantein"", a magic wand. In chapter 34 of the ""Prose Edda"""
"Þrúðr Þrúðr (Old Norse for ""strength""), sometimes anglicized as Thrúd or Thrud, is a daughter of the major god Thor and the goddess Sif in Norse mythology. Þrúðr is also the name of one of the valkyries who serve ale to the einherjar in Valhalla (""Grímnismál"", stanza 36). The two may or may not be the same figure. Þrúðr is attested in the following sources: The ""Poetic Edda"" poem ""Alvíssmál"", in which a dwarf, Alvíss, claims to be engaged to Thor's daughter, may be about Þrúðr, but the daughter is not named. The ""Prose Edda"" book ""Skáldskaparmál"" tells that Thor"
"Gylfi In Norse mythology, Gylfi, ""Gylfe"", ""Gylvi"", or ""Gylve"" was the earliest recorded king in Scandinavia. He often uses the name Gangleri when appearing in disguise. The traditions on Gylfi deal with how he was tricked by the gods and his relations with the goddess Gefjon. The ""Ynglinga saga"" section of Snorri's ""Heimskringla"" and the Eddic poem ""Ragnarsdrápa"" tell a legend of how Gylfi was seduced by the goddess Gefjon to give her as much land as she could plow in one night. Gefjon transformed her four sons into oxen and took enough land to create the Danish island of"
"Gná and Hófvarpnir In Norse mythology, Gná is a goddess who runs errands in other worlds for the goddess Frigg and rides the flying, sea-treading horse Hófvarpnir (Old Norse ""he who throws his hoofs about"", ""hoof-thrower"" or ""hoof kicker""). Gná and Hófvarpnir are attested in the ""Prose Edda"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Scholarly theories have been proposed about Gná as a ""goddess of fullness"" and as potentially cognate to Fama from Roman mythology. Hófvarpnir and the eight-legged steed Sleipnir have been cited examples of transcendent horses in Norse mythology. In chapter 35 of the ""Prose Edda"""
"Brísingamen In Norse mythology, Brísingamen (or Brísinga men) is the torc or necklace of the goddess Freyja. The name is an Old Norse compound ""brísinga-men"" whose second element is ""men"" ""(ornamental) neck-ring (of precious metal), torc"". The etymology of the first element is uncertain. It has been derived from Old Norse ""brísingr"", a poetic term for ""fire"" or ""amber"" mentioned in the anonymous versified word-lists (""þulur"") appended to many manuscripts of the Prose Edda, making Brísingamen ""gleaming torc"", ""sunny torc"", or the like. However, ""Brísingr"" can also be an ethnonym, in which case ""Brísinga men"" is ""torque of the Brísings"";"
"three gods invoked in the 14th century ""Hauksbók"" ring oath, and in numerous Scandinavian place names. Veneration of Njörðr survived into 18th or 19th century Norwegian folk practice, where the god is recorded as Njor and thanked for a bountiful catch of fish. Njörðr has been the subject of an amount of scholarly discourse and theory, often connecting him with the figure of the much earlier attested Germanic goddess Nerthus, the hero Hadingus, and theorizing on his formerly more prominent place in Norse paganism due to the appearance of his name in numerous place names. ""Njörðr"" is sometimes modernly anglicized"
"Níðhöggr In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr (""Malice Striker"", traditionally also spelled Níðhǫggr, often anglicized Nidhogg) is a dragon/serpent who gnaws at a root of the world tree, Yggdrasil. In historical Viking society, níð was a term for a social stigma implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. Thus, its name might refer to its role as a horrific monster or in its action of chewing the corpses of the inhabitants of Náströnd: those guilty of murder, adultery, and oath-breaking, which Norse society considered among the worst possible crimes. In the standardized Old Norse orthography, the name is"
"the winged-horse Pegasus, may have been. Gná and Hófvarpnir In Norse mythology, Gná is a goddess who runs errands in other worlds for the goddess Frigg and rides the flying, sea-treading horse Hófvarpnir (Old Norse ""he who throws his hoofs about"", ""hoof-thrower"" or ""hoof kicker""). Gná and Hófvarpnir are attested in the ""Prose Edda"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Scholarly theories have been proposed about Gná as a ""goddess of fullness"" and as potentially cognate to Fama from Roman mythology. Hófvarpnir and the eight-legged steed Sleipnir have been cited examples of transcendent horses in Norse mythology. In"
"Dáinn (Norse dwarf) Dáinn (""Dead"") or Dain is a character in Norse mythology. Mostly the tales relate to him being a dwarf and in others as king of elves. However, in other stories the dwarf god is referred to as Dvalin. His name is found on king Högni's sword Dáinsleif (""Dáinn's legacy""). It is laid with a curse which says it must always kill a man when it is drawn. In the ""Hyndluljóð"" he is said to have made Freyja's boar Hildisvíni, along with another dwarf, his brother Nabbi. Dáinn is referred to as a dwarf in the dwarf-þula of"
"Edda"", the dragon Níðhöggr is described as gnawing on the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree. In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr is a giant serpent that encircles the entire realm of Miðgarð in the sea around it. According to the ""Gylfaginning"" from the ""Prose Edda"", written by the thirteenth-century Icelandic mythographer Snorri Sturluson, Thor, the Norse god of thunder, once went out on a boat with the giant Hymnir to the outer sea and fished for Jörmungandr using an ox-head as bait. Thor caught the serpent and, after pulling its head out of the water, smashed it with his hammer Mjölnir."
"these also have the power to hamper enemies in Norse mythology."" Herfjötur In Norse mythology, Herfjötur (Old Norse ""host-fetter"" or ""fetter of the army"") is a valkyrie. Herfjötur is attested as among the 13 valkyries listed in the ""Poetic Edda"" poem ""Grímnismál"", and in the longer of the two ""Nafnaþulur"" lists found in the ""Prose Edda"". Rudolf Simek says the name is kenning-like and that the name likely refers to the ""fortune determining function of the valkyries especially in battle."" Simek points to a connection between the name and the idisi mentioned in one of the two Merseburg Incantations and"
"Sister-wife of Njörðr In Norse mythology, the sister-wife of Njörðr is the unnamed wife and sister of the god Njörðr, with whom he is described as having had the (likewise incestuous) twin children Freyr and Freyja. This shadowy goddess is attested in the ""Poetic Edda"" poem ""Lokasenna"", recorded in the 13th century by an unknown source, and the ""Heimskringla"" book ""Ynglinga saga"", a euhemerized account of the Norse gods composed by Snorri Sturluson also in the 13th century but based on earlier traditional material. The figure receives no further mention in Old Norse texts. The situation is further complicated in"
"Thor, not with Forseti. Forseti Forseti (Old Norse ""the presiding one,"" actually ""president"" in modern Icelandic and Faroese) is the god of justice and reconciliation in Norse mythology. He is generally identified with Fosite, a god of the Frisians. Jacob Grimm noted that if, as Adam of Bremen states, Fosite's sacred island was Heligoland, that would make him an ideal candidate for a deity known to both Frisians and Scandinavians, but that it is surprising he is never mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus. Grimm took ""Forseti"", """"praeses"""", to be the older form of the name, first postulating an unattested Old High"
"Baldr Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Norse mythology, and a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg. He has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In the 12th century, Danish accounts by Saxo Grammaticus and other Danish Latin chroniclers recorded a euhemerized account of his story. Compiled in Iceland in the 13th century, but based on much older Old Norse poetry, the ""Poetic Edda"" and the ""Prose Edda"" contain numerous references to the death of Baldr as both a great tragedy to the Æsir and a harbinger of Ragnarök. According to ""Gylfaginning"", a book"
"It calls the monster ""skrímsli"" and specifies that the bet was on a chess game. Loka Táttur Loka Táttur or Lokka Táttur (tale, or ""þáttr"" of Loki) is a Faroese ballad (Corpus Carminum Færoensium 13D) which is a rare example of the occurrence of Norse gods in folklore. The ballad probably dates back to the late Middle Ages. The Danish botanist and clergyman Hans Christian Lyngbye published the first edition of it and other Faroese ballads in 1822, in phonetically spelt Faroese with a facing-page translation into Danish (with the assistance of Jens Christian Svabo). A prose Danish translation was"