"of death, where half of those slain in battle enter Freyja's field Fólkvangr, Hel's realm of the same name, and Rán who receives those who die at sea. Other female deities such as the valkyries, the norns, and the dísir are associated with a Germanic concept of fate (Old Norse ""Ørlög"", Old English ""Wyrd""), and celebrations were held in their honor, such as the Dísablót and Disting. The Inca pantheon included: Pachamama, the supreme Mother Earth, Mama Killa, a moon goddess, and Mama Ocllo, a fertility goddess. The main goddesses in the Maya pantheon were Ixchel, a mother goddess, and"
"Njörun In Norse mythology, Njörun (Old Norse: ""Njǫrun"", sometimes modernly anglicized as ""Niorun"") is a goddess attested in the ""Prose Edda"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and various kennings (including once in the ""Poetic Edda""). Scholarly theories concerning her name and function in the pantheon include etymological connections to the Norse god Njörðr and the Roman goddess Nerio, and suggestions that she may represent the earth or be the unnamed sister-wife of Njörðr. Njörun is listed (after Bil) as an ásynja within the ""Prose Edda"" book ""Skáldskaparmál"". No further information other than her name is provided there."
"Orcus, a god of the underworld in Roman mythology, and that Hel is blue or half blue and half light, like the Roman goddess Proserpina, whom Saxo equates to Hel in his ""Gesta Danorum"". Falk further notes that Sinmara is referred to as ""aurglasis Eirr"", which he translates as ""the goddess of the gold ring"", and compares Hel's being called ""Gjallar sunnu gátt"" ""wearer of the necklace"" in stanza 9 of the poem ""Forspjallsljóð"". Björn Olsen associates the kenning with ""veðurglasir"", a name of Yggdrasill in stanza 24 of the same poem, and translates ""aurglasir"" as a name for the"
"beings. The Furies were female spirits who exacted vengeance against people who committed specific crimes. Keres were female spirits of death and destruction. Persephone was the goddess of the underworld and the spouse of Hades. Thanatos, the god of death, was said to wear dark robes. The Vikings believed that if a warrior died in battle, he would be taken to the Norse afterlife: the hall of Valhöll, in which the warriors would prepare for Ragnarökk, the battle at the end of the world. Rune stones were erected to commemorate particularly brave warriors. Death in one's sleep (a ""straw death"")"
"between the figures. Scholar Hilda Ellis Davidson says that while ""the idea of a link with Sumerian Inanna , 'Lady of Heaven', was attractive to early scholars"" the notion ""seems unlikely."" Nanna (Norse deity) In Norse mythology, Nanna Nepsdóttir or simply Nanna is a goddess associated with the god Baldr. Accounts of Nanna vary greatly by source. In the ""Prose Edda"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Nanna is the wife of Baldr and the couple produced a son, the god Forseti. After Baldr's death, Nanna dies of grief. Nanna is placed on Baldr's ship with his corpse"
"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"
"end up in Tuonela. Tuonetar is recognized as the Virgin of Death and the goddess of the subterranean worlds. She is the mother of Kipu-Tyttö, Kivutar, Vammatar, Kalma, and Loviatar, as well as numerous plagues, diseases, demons, and monsters. Tuonetar Tuonetar () is the Queen of the Underworld in Finnish mythology. Tuonetar is the wife of Tuoni, with whom she rules over the Underworld Tuonela. In the 16th song of Kalevala, Väinämöinen arrives in their kingdom. Tuonetar is delighted to offer him a golden goblet of beer, but when he looks closer he can see it is really a black"
"Faulkes's translation of the ""Prose Edda"". Andlang In Norse mythology, Andlang (also Andlàngr or Öndlangr) is described as the second heavenly realm which stretches between the first, containing the halls of the gods, and the third, named Vídbláin. In all there are nine heavens according to Snorri. Andlang will serve as a shelter and dwelling place for the souls of the dead during and after the destruction of Ragnarök. Holtsmark (1964) noted that Snorri's Andlang derived from ""andlegr himinn"" (""spiritual heaven"") in the medieval Icelandic version of the ""Elucidarius"", crediting Hjalmar Falk for this inspiration, adding her own insight that"
"her gender is more than grammatical, and invites comparison with the Old Norse underworld goddess Hel and the Frau Holle of German folklore, to say nothing of underworld goddesses in other cultures"" yet adds that ""the possibility that these genders ""are"" merely grammatical is strengthened by the fact that an Old Norse version of Nicodemus, possibly translated under English influence, personifies Hell in the neutral (Old Norse ""þat helvíti"")."" The Old Norse ""Bartholomeus saga postola"", an account of the life of Saint Bartholomew dating from the 13th century, mentions a ""Queen Hel."" In the story, a devil is hiding within"
"root system of the world-tree. Sinmara In Norse mythology, Sinmara is a female figure or ""jötunn"", usually considered a consort to the fiery ""jötunn"" Surtr, the lord of Muspelheim. Sinmara is attested solely in the poem ""Fjölsvinnsmál"", where she is mentioned alongside Surtr in one (emended) stanza, and described as keeper of the legendary weapon Lævateinn in a later passage. Assorted theories have been proposed about the etymology of her name, and her connection with other figures in Norse mythology. The etymology of the name ""Sinmara"" is obscure. The latter element of the name, ""mara"", may be a cognate to"
"and dusk with its blood as the Sun defeated it. In Nordic myth, evil was symbolised by the serpent (actually a dragon) Nidhogg (the 'Dread Biter') who coiled around one of the three roots of Yggdrasil the Tree of Life, and tried to choke or gnaw the life from it. ""Here there is and evil dragon names Nidhogg that gnaws constantly at the root, striving to destroy Yggdrasil"" In ancient Slavic paganism a deity by the name of Veles presided over the underworld. He is almost always portrayed as a serpent or dragon depending on the particular myth. The underworld"
"have later turned to the same goddess soon before he met his death, when he hid in the earth beneath a swine in ""Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar"" (collected in ""Heimskringla"") chapter 48, and that this could symbolize a mound of Freyja, one of whose names means ""sow"" (Old Norse ""sýr""). Davidson theorizes that the account of Olaf I of Norway dragging Þorgerðr's image out of its temple after Haakon's death, and burning it next to a depiction of Freyr (Freyja's male twin), further supports this view. Irpa has been proposed as an earth goddess due to the derivation of her name"
"in being unnamed. As was noted by Albert Morey Sturtevant, ""Njǫrun"" and ""Gefjon"" are the only female names recorded in Old Norse texts that have the suffix ""-un"". Two other god-goddess pairs distinguished by suffix are preserved in the Old Norse corpus, Ullr and Ullin and Fjörgyn and Fjörgynn, and there is a possible third example in Old High German Phol and Volla. Njörun In Norse mythology, Njörun (Old Norse: ""Njǫrun"", sometimes modernly anglicized as ""Niorun"") is a goddess attested in the ""Prose Edda"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and various kennings (including once in the ""Poetic"
"Tuonetar Tuonetar () is the Queen of the Underworld in Finnish mythology. Tuonetar is the wife of Tuoni, with whom she rules over the Underworld Tuonela. In the 16th song of Kalevala, Väinämöinen arrives in their kingdom. Tuonetar is delighted to offer him a golden goblet of beer, but when he looks closer he can see it is really a black poison made of frog spawn, young poisonous snakes, lizards, adders, and worms. If a person drinks the brew, known as the beer of oblivion, they forget they ever existed and are unable to return to the land of the"
"(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"
"Andlang In Norse mythology, Andlang (also Andlàngr or Öndlangr) is described as the second heavenly realm which stretches between the first, containing the halls of the gods, and the third, named Vídbláin. In all there are nine heavens according to Snorri. Andlang will serve as a shelter and dwelling place for the souls of the dead during and after the destruction of Ragnarök. Holtsmark (1964) noted that Snorri's Andlang derived from ""andlegr himinn"" (""spiritual heaven"") in the medieval Icelandic version of the ""Elucidarius"", crediting Hjalmar Falk for this inspiration, adding her own insight that the ""and-"" heading made the term"
"and possibly Niðavellir. Hilda Ellis Davidson comments that exactly where Vanaheim is among the Nine Worlds isn't clear, since ""the chief gods Freyr and Njord with a number of others, are represented along with the Æsir in Asgard, but it seems probable that it was in the underworld."" Davidson notes a connection between the Vanir and ""the land-spirits who dwelt in mounds and hills and in water [...]. Rudolf Simek claims that Snorri ""unquestionably"" invented the name ""Vanaheimr"" as a Vanir counterpart to Asgard, but does not mention the ""Vafþrúðnismál"" reference. Vanaheimr In Norse mythology, Vanaheimr (Old Norse for ""home"
"Sun and shine it in the Underworld. Zeus destroys the ship with his lightning bolt, killing all the men except for Odysseus. Goddess of snow, ice and wind, Khione is daughter of Boreas, god of the cold north-winds. Odyssean gods The Odyssean gods are the ancient Greek gods referenced in Homer's ""Odyssey"". The story's major gods include Athena, Poseidon, Calypso and Circe; minor gods include Ino, Hermes, Zeus, and Heracles. The Odyssey's major gods include Athena, Poseidon, Calypso, and Circe. Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, and was also the patron goddess of heroes. Odysseus was"
"to as the ""Dance of Inanna"". Inanna's twin brother was Utu, the god of the sun and justice (who was later known as Shamash in East Semitic languages). In Sumerian texts, Inanna and Utu are shown as extremely close; in fact, their relationship frequently borders on incestuous. Inanna's ""sukkal"" is the goddess Ninshubur, whose relationship with Inanna is one of mutual devotion. In the myth of her descent into the Underworld, Inanna addresses Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld, as her ""older sister"", but the two goddesses almost never appear together in Sumerian literature. In Uruk, Inanna was usually regarded"
"Jörð In Norse mythology, Jörð (Old Norse ""jǫrð"", ""earth"" pronounced , Icelandic Jörð, pronounced , sometimes Anglicized as Jord or Jorth; also called Jarð, as in Old East Norse), is a female jötunn. She is the mother of the thunder god Thor, son of Odin, and the personification of earth. Fjörgyn and Hlóðyn are considered to be other names for Jörð. Some scholars refer to Jörð as a goddess. Jörð's name appears in skaldic poetry both as a poetic term for the land and in kennings for Thor. ""Jörð"" is the common word for ""earth"" in Old Norse, as are"
"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"
"German Phol and Volla may also be a pair. 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"
"selfish and power-hungry the Northern Goddess of Death, Destruction, and the Underworld, inspired by the Norse goddess of the same name. She is upset by the fact that Thor has manipulated most dwarves into believing that trees are a worthy and threatening foe, thus making it so that dwarves who die in ""combat"" against forests qualify as heroic deaths, thus denying their souls to her domain, and the fact that since the undead have been largely eradicated in the North, she has lost the political influence she feels is her right as a major goddess. As revealed in the Godsmoot,"
"throughout the worlds and bestowed among humanity the runic alphabet; the beautiful, seiðr-working, feathered cloak-clad goddess Freya who rides to battle to choose among the slain; the vengeful, skiing goddess Skaði, who prefers the wolf howls of the winter mountains to the seashore; the powerful god Njörð, who may calm both sea and fire and grant wealth and land; the god Frey, whose weather and farming associations bring peace and pleasure to humanity; the goddess Iðunn, who keeps apples that grant eternal youthfulness; the mysterious god Heimdall, who is born of nine mothers, can hear grass grow, has gold teeth,"
"the journey of the deceased to the underworld. Other Etruscan Chthonic (or underworld) figures include Charun, Calu, Phersipnai, Turms, Aita, and Culsu. Vanth Vanth is a chthonic figure in Etruscan mythology shown in a variety of forms of funerary art, such as in tomb paintings and on sarcophagi. Vanth is a female deity in the Etruscan underworld that is often accompanied either by additional Vanth figures or by another deity, Charun (later referred to as ""Charu""). Both Vanth and Charun are only seen in iconography beginning c. 400 BC, in the middle period of Etruscan art, although some earlier inscriptions"
"Sun goddess of the Earth The Sun goddess of the Earth (Hittite: ""taknaš UTU"", Luwian: tiyamaššiš Tiwaz) was the Hittite goddess of the underworld. Her Hurrian equivalent was and her Sumerian/Akkadian equivalent was Ereshkigal, both of which had a marked influence on the Hittite goddess from an early date. In the Neo-Hittite period, the Hattian underworld god, Lelwani was also syncretised with her. In Hittite texts she is referred to as the ""Queen of the Underworld"" and possesses a palace with a vizier and servants. In the Hittite New Kingdom she is attested as the mother of two weather gods."
"somehow led to the events of the Æsir–Vanir War. Gullveig In Norse mythology, Gullveig is a being who was speared by the Æsir, burnt three times, and yet thrice reborn. Upon her third rebirth, Gullveig's name becomes Heiðr and she is described as a knowledgeable and skillful völva. Gullveig/Heiðr is solely attested in the ""Poetic Edda"", compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material. Scholars have variously proposed that Gullveig/Heiðr is the same figure as the goddess Freyja, that Gullveig's death may have been connected to corruption by way of gold among the Æsir, and/or that Gullveig's treatment by"
"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"
"The main temple dedicated to her was located in Kutha. In the ancient Sumerian poem ""Inanna's Descent to the Underworld"" Ereshkigal is described as Inanna's older sister. The two main myths involving Ereshkigal are the story of Inanna's descent into the Underworld and the story of Ereshkigal's marriage to the god Nergal. In ancient Sumerian mythology, Ereshkigal is the queen of the Underworld. She is the older sister of the goddess, Inanna. Inanna and Ereshkigal represent polar opposites. Inanna is the Queen of Heaven, but Ereshkigal is the queen of Irkalla. Ereshkigal plays a very prominent and important role in"
"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"
"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"
"in the sources: Njǫrðr, his son Freyr, and his daughter Freyja; according to Snorri all of these could be called ""Vanaguð"" (Vanir-god), and Freyja also ""Vanadís"" (Vanir-dís). The status of Loki within the pantheon is problematic, and according to ""Lokasenna"" and ""Vǫluspá"" and Snorri's explanation, he is imprisoned beneath the earth until Ragnarok, when he will fight against the gods. As far back as 1889 Sophus Bugge suggested this was the inspiration for the myth of Lucifer. Some of the goddesses—Skaði, Rindr, Gerðr—are of giant origins. The general Old Norse word for the goddesses is ""Ásynjur"", which is properly the"
"cold, dark cavern deep beneath the earth, which was ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal and where the only food available was dry dust. In later times, Ereshkigal was believed to rule alongside her husband Nergal, the god of death. The major deities in the Sumerian pantheon included An, the god of the heavens, Enlil, the god of wind and storm, Enki, the god of water and human culture, Ninhursag, the goddess of fertility and the earth, Utu, the god of the sun and justice, and his father Nanna, the god of the moon. During the Akkadian Period and afterward, Inanna,"