"shamanic áss Odin is meant, but the Christian god has absorbed this kenning in later Norse poetry. The meaning of the ""alu"" formula is uncertain, as are the runes spelling it out. See reference sources for more possible translations. Another suggested translation: A more prosaic interpretation (offered by Ottar Grønvik) (1985): The Old Norse equivalent is here said to be: Translation: According to this interpretation, A1 is a description of a shipwreck in bad weather. The mast seems to have broken, and the oars could not save them, as a mythical creature, *Vil (possibly the sea-god Aegir, or simply divine"
"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"
"Vanir In Norse mythology, the Vanir (; singular Vanr) are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods (the other being the Æsir) and are the namesake of the location Vanaheimr (Old Norse ""Home of the Vanir""). After the Æsir–Vanir War, the Vanir became a subgroup of the Æsir. Subsequently, members of the Vanir are sometimes also referred to as members of the Æsir. The Vanir are attested in the ""Poetic Edda"", compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the ""Prose Edda"""
"Fornjót In Norse mythology, Fornjót (Old Norse: ""Fornjótr"") was an ancient giant and king of """"Gotland, Kænland and Finnland"""" meaning Gotland, Kvenland and Finland Proper. His children are Ægir (the ruler of the sea), Logi (fire giant) and Kári (god of wind). The name has often been interpreted as ""forn-jótr"" ""ancient giant"", and Karl Simrock (1869) because of this identified Fornjotr with the primeval giant Ymir. But it is also possible, as was suggested by Peter Erasmus Müller (1818), that it is one of a well-established group of names or titles of gods in ""-njótr"" ""user, owner, possessor"", which would"
"Æsir In Old Norse, ' (or ', plural ""; feminine ', plural ') is a member of the principal pantheon in Norse religion. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Týr. The second pantheon is known as the Vanir. In Norse mythology, the two pantheons wage war against each other, which results in a unified pantheon. The cognate term in Old English is (plural ') denoting a deity in Anglo-Saxon paganism. The Old High German is ', plural """". The Gothic language had ' (based only on Jordanes who glossed ""anses"" with uncertain meaning, possibly 'demi-god' and presumably a"
"desire, ""vé"" to the sacred or numinous and ""óðr"" to the manic or ecstatic. A second clan of gods, the ""Vanir"", is also mentioned in Norse mythology: the god Njörðr and his children, Freyr and Freyja, are the most prominent Vanir gods who join the Æsir as hostages after a war between Æsir and Vanir. The Vanir appear to have mainly been connected with cultivation and fertility and the Æsir were connected with power and war. In the ""Eddas"", however, the word ""Æsir"" is used for gods in general, while ""Asynjur"" is used for the goddesses in general. For example,"
"(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"
"the gods. While often translated as ""giants"", most are described as being roughly human sized. Some are portrayed as huge, such as frost giants (""hrímþursar""), fire giants (""eldjötnar""), and mountain giants (""bergrisar""). The giants are the origin of most of various monsters in Norse mythology (e.g. the Fenrisulfr), and in the eventual battle of Ragnarök the giants will storm Asgard and fight them, until the world is destroyed. Even so, the gods themselves were related to the giants by many marriages, and there are giants such as Ægir, Loki, Mímir, and Skaði, who bear little difference in status to them."
"Njörðr form a portion of gods known as the Vanir. While the Aesir and the Vanir retain distinct identification, they came together as the result of the Aesir–Vanir War. While they receive less mention, numerous other gods and goddesses appear in the source material. (For a list of these deities, see List of Germanic deities.) Some of the gods heard less of include the apple-bearing goddess Iðunn and her husband, the skaldic god Bragi; the gold-toothed god Heimdallr, born of nine mothers; the ancient god Týr, who lost a hand while binding the great wolf Fenrir; and the goddess Gefjon,"
"a hungry monster."""" (Chapter 5) Trent Aegir The Trent Aegir, also known as the Eagre, is a tidal bore on the River Trent in England. At certain times of the year, the lower tidal reaches of the Trent experience a moderately large bore (up to five feet (1.5m) high). It is said to take its name from ""Ægir"", the Norse god of the ocean, although this is disputed. A more likely derivation is from Old English *""ēagor"" (“flood, stream, water”). The Aegir occurs when a high spring tide meets the downstream flow of the river. The funnel shape of the"
"the city of Asgard had previously been"". According to ""Skáldskaparmál"", Víðarr was one of the twelve presiding male gods seated in their thrones at a banquet for the visiting Ægir. In the epilogue to the dialogue between the skaldic god Bragi and Ægir, Snorri explains, in his typical euhemeristic style, that Víðarr ""is"" the Trojan hero Aeneas who survived the Trojan War and went on to achieve ""great deeds"". Later in the book, various kennings are given for Víðarr, including again the ""silent As"", ""possessor of the iron shoe"", ""enemy and slayer of Fenrisulf"", ""the gods' avenging As"", ""father's homestead-inhabiting"
"Eitr Eitr is a mythical substance in Norse mythology. This liquid substance is the origin of all living things: the first giant Ymir was conceived from eitr. The substance is supposed to be very poisonous and is also produced by Jörmungandr (the Midgard serpent) and other serpents. The word eitr exists in most North Germanic languages (all derived from the Old Norse language) in Icelandic/Faroese ""eitur"", in Danish ""edder"", in Swedish ""etter"". Cognates also exist in Dutch ""etter"" (pus), in German ""Eiter"" (""pus""), in Old Saxon ""ĕttar"", in Old English ""ăttor"". The word is broadly translated: ""poisonous"", ""evil"", ""bad"", ""angry"","
"Eitr Eitr is a mythical substance in Norse mythology. This liquid substance is the origin of all living things: the first giant Ymir was conceived from eitr. The substance is supposed to be very poisonous and is also produced by Jörmungandr (the Midgard serpent) and other serpents. The word eitr exists in most North Germanic languages (all derived from the Old Norse language) in Icelandic/Faroese ""eitur"", in Danish ""edder"", in Swedish ""etter"". Cognates also exist in Dutch ""etter"" (pus), in German ""Eiter"" (""pus""), in Old Saxon ""ĕttar"", in Old English ""ăttor"". The word is broadly translated: ""poisonous"", ""evil"", ""bad"", ""angry"","
"Norse cosmology The cosmology of Norse mythology has ""nine homeworlds"" or ""nine realms"", unified by the world tree Yggdrasil. Mapping the nine worlds escapes precision because the ""Poetic Edda"" often alludes vaguely. The Norse creation myth tells how everything came into existence in the gap between fire and ice, and how the gods shaped the homeworld of humans. A cosmic ash tree, Yggdrasil, lies at the center of the Norse cosmos. Three roots drink the waters of the homeworlds, one in the homeworld of the gods, the Æsir, Asgard, one in the homeworld of the humans, Midgard, and one in"
"means goddesses. These terms, states John Lindow, may be ultimately rooted in the Indo-European root for ""breath"" (as in ""life giving force""), and to the cognates ""os"" which means deity in Old English and ""anses"" in Gothic. Another group of deities found in Norse mythology are termed as ""Vanir"", and are associated with fertility. The ""Æsir"" and the ""Vanir"" went to war, according to the Norse and Germanic mythologies. According to the Norse texts such as ""Ynglinga saga"", the Æsir–Vanir War ended in truce and ultimate reconciliation of the two into a single group of deities, after both sides chose"
"Trent Aegir The Trent Aegir, also known as the Eagre, is a tidal bore on the River Trent in England. At certain times of the year, the lower tidal reaches of the Trent experience a moderately large bore (up to five feet (1.5m) high). It is said to take its name from ""Ægir"", the Norse god of the ocean, although this is disputed. A more likely derivation is from Old English *""ēagor"" (“flood, stream, water”). The Aegir occurs when a high spring tide meets the downstream flow of the river. The funnel shape of the river mouth exaggerates this effect,"
"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"
"peace, exchanged ambassadors (hostages), and intermarried. The Norse mythology describes the cooperation after the war, as well as differences between the ""Æsir"" and the ""Vanir"" which were considered scandalous by the other side. The goddess Freyja of the ""Vanir"" taught magic to the ""Æsir"", while the two sides discover that while ""Æsir"" forbid mating between siblings, ""Vanir"" accepted such mating. Temples hosting images of Nordic deities (such as Thor, Odin and Freyr), as well as pagan worship rituals, continued in Nordic countries through the 12th century, according to historical records. This shocked Christian missionaries, and over time Christian equivalents were"
"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"
"Freyr Freyr (Old Norse: Lord), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god associated with sacral kingship, virility and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather, and pictured as a phallic fertility god in Norse mythology. Freyr is said to ""bestow peace and pleasure on mortals"". Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house. In the Icelandic books the ""Poetic Edda"" and the ""Prose Edda"", Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, as well as the twin brother of"
"Logi In Norse mythology, Logi, Loge (Old Norse ""fire"") or Hálogi (""High Flame"") is a fire giant, god and personification of fire. He is son of giant Fornjótr and brother of Ægir (sea giant) and Kári (god of the wind). Logi married fire giantess Glöð and she bore him two beautiful daughters—Eisa and Eimyrja. Logi is often confused with Loki, another deity (this could have happened when Richard Wagner wrote his ""Ring des Nibelungen"" operas, in which Loki is a fire demigod (that is, not an áss) and the pun ""Loge""/""Lohe"" (i.e. Loki/blaze) also appears). Logi appears by that name"
"of Norse gods as examples of these functions in his 1981 essay--he finds that the Norse gods Odin and Tyr reflect the different brands of sovereignty. Odin is the author of the cosmos, and possessor of infinite esoteric knowledge--going so far as to sacrifice his eye for the accumulation of more knowledge. While Tyr--seen as the ""just god""--is more concerned with upholding justice, as illustrated by the epic myth of Tyr losing his hand in exchange for the monster Fenrir to cease his terrorization of the gods. What this tells us is that through these myths, concepts of universal wisdom"
"tree based on ""Historia Norwegiæ"", ""Ynglinga saga"", ""Beowulf"" and other Old Norse sources. The names of Swedish kings are shown in bold. Notes: Fornjót In Norse mythology, Fornjót (Old Norse: ""Fornjótr"") was an ancient giant and king of """"Gotland, Kænland and Finnland"""" meaning Gotland, Kvenland and Finland Proper. His children are Ægir (the ruler of the sea), Logi (fire giant) and Kári (god of wind). The name has often been interpreted as ""forn-jótr"" ""ancient giant"", and Karl Simrock (1869) because of this identified Fornjotr with the primeval giant Ymir. But it is also possible, as was suggested by Peter Erasmus"
"Asgard In Norse religion, Asgard (; ; ""Enclosure of the Æsir"") is one of the Nine Worlds and home to the Æsir tribe of gods. It is surrounded by an incomplete wall attributed to a Hrimthurs riding the stallion Svaðilfari, according to ""Gylfaginning"". Odin and his wife, Frigg, are the rulers of Asgard. Asgard is home to many named locations; the most well known include Valhalla, where half of all those who die in battle are sent, and Fólkvangr, where the other half go. The primary sources regarding Asgard come from the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by"
"The Chief God Odin was the great-grand son of the Giant Ymir. Norse mythology also holds that the entire world of men was created from the flesh of Ymir, a giant of cosmic proportions, which name is considered by some to share a root with the name Yama of Indo-Iranian mythology. An old Icelandic legend says that two night-prowling giants, a man and a woman, were traversing the fjord near Drangey Island with their cow when they were surprised by the bright rays of daybreak. As a result of exposure to daylight, all three were turned into stone. Drangey represents"
"themselves to a single deity, described as a ""fulltrúi"" or ""vinr"" (confidant, friend) as seen in Egill Skallagrímsson's reference to his relationship with Odin in his ""Sonatorrek"", a tenth-century skaldic poem for example. This practice has been interpreted as heathen past influenced by the Christian cult of the saints. Although our literary sources are all relatively late, there are also indications of change over time. Norse mythological sources, particularly Snorri and ""Vǫluspá"", differentiate between two groups of deities, the Æsir and the Vanir, who fought a war during which the Vanir broke down the walls of the Æsir's stronghold, Asgard,"
"Vanaheimr In Norse mythology, Vanaheimr (Old Norse for ""home of the Vanir"") is one of the Nine Worlds and home of the Vanir, a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. Vanaheimr is attested in the ""Poetic Edda""; compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ""Prose Edda"" and (in euhemerized form) ""Heimskringla""; both written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In the ""Poetic Edda"" and the ""Prose Edda"", Vanaheimr is described as the location where the Van god Njörðr was raised. In Norse cosmology, Vanaheimr is considered one"
"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"
"with the story and show Hymir: the Ardre VIII image stone, the Hørdum stone, and the Gosforth Cross. A stone slab that may be a portion of a second cross at Gosforth also shows a fishing scene using an ox head for bait. The legend is also depicted on the Altuna Runestone, but its image does not show Hymir, possibly due to the narrow shape of that stone. Hymir In Norse mythology, Hymir is a giant, husband of the giantess Hroðr and according to the Eddic poem ""Hymiskviða"" the father of the god Týr (in other sources, Odin is Tyr's"
"sea and bring up some mud out of which the dry land was formed. Atargatis was a Syrian deity known as the mermaid-goddess and Sedna was the goddess of the sea and marine animals in Inuit mythology. In Norse mythology Ægir was the sea god and Rán, his wife, was the sea goddess while Njörðr was the god of sea travel. It was best to propitiate the gods before setting out on a voyage. In the works of the psychiatrist Carl Jung, the sea symbolizes the personal and the collective unconscious in dream interpretation: The sea and ships have been"
"and eventually made peace by means of a truce and the exchange of hostages. Some mythographers have suggested that this myth was based on recollection of a conflict in Scandinavia between adherents of different belief systems; in Georges Dumézil's tripartite theory both the war and the division of the pantheon into two groups are related to Indo-European parallels, with the Vanir exemplifying the second ""function"", that of fertility and the cycle of life and death. Major deities among the Æsir include Thor (who is often referred to in literary texts as Asa-Thor), Odin and Týr. Very few Vanir are named"
"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"
"of Frigg, as already intimated by her name [...]. In stanza 54, Eir appears as one of Mengloth's handmaidens, and Eir, according to Snorri (""Gylfaginning, 35"") is herself the Norse Hygeia. Compare this stanza to stanza 32."" Eir In Norse mythology, Eir (Old Norse ""help, mercy"") is a goddess or valkyrie associated with medical skill. Eir is attested in the ""Poetic Edda"", compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the ""Prose Edda"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; and in skaldic poetry, including a runic inscription from Bergen, Norway from around 1300. Scholars have theorized about"