The document provides an overview of Norse mythology based on stories from the Icelandic Eddas. It describes the creation story where the gods Odin, Vili and Ve formed the world from the giant Ymir's body. It details the nine worlds of Norse cosmology centered around the world tree Yggdrasil. The document also profiles important gods like Odin, king of the Aesir gods, the thunder god Thor, and fertility deities Freyr and Freya. It discusses the afterlife realm of Valhalla that welcomed slain warriors chosen by the Valkyrie maidens.

1. THE QUEST FOR VALHALLA
NORSE MYTHOLOGY & LEGEND
Mythology In Art & Literature
ProfessorWill Adams
Valencia College

2. The Norse Culture
Norse mythology refers to the collective myths
of the Scandinavians (Modern-day Sweden,
Denmark, Norway, and Iceland).
The main sources for Norse mythology, which
are Indo-European in origin, are the Icelandic
Eddas.
The shaping of Norse mythology itself took
place in Germanic Europe, including those
elements of the myths which were current in
Scandinavia in the millennium before that.

3. THE ICELANDIC EDDAS
 The Icelandic Eddas are some of the oldest
pieces of Scandinavian literature.
 They contain all the Norse legends and
myths with which we are familiar today.
 The Poetic Edda is the older of the two
Eddas and therefore sometimes called the
Elder Edda.
 It consists of many different tales which
were put together by an anonymous
person probably around 1250 CE (The date
of origin is also unknown).
 The Prose Edda orYounger Edda, was
written by Snorri Sturluson around 1220
CE, and translates the older text into more
modern language.
 Collectively, they tell the story of creation
and the lives of the gods.

4. CREATION IN THE EDDAS
 In the beginning, there existed a void,
called Ginnungagap (meaning
“beginning gap,” or “mighty gap”).
 There was also Nifleheim, the land of
fog and ice in the north, as well as
Muspelheim, the land of fire in the
south.
 In Nifelheim was a spring called
Hvergelmir from which the Elivigar
(eleven rivers) flowed.
 The Elivigar froze layer upon layer
until it filled the northern part of the
gap.
 At the same time, the southern part
was being filled by sparks and molten
material from Muspelheim.

5. CREATION IN THE EDDAS
 The mix of fire and ice caused part of the
Elivigar to melt, formingYmir - the
primeval giant - and the cow, Audhumla.
 The cow’s milk wasYmir’s food.
 WhileYmir slept, his under arm sweat
begat two frost giants, one male and one
female, while his two legs begat another
male.
 WhileYmir was busy procreating,
Audhumla was busy eating.
 Her nourishment came from licking the
salty ice.
 Her incessant licking formed the god
Buri.
 He had a son named Bor who was the
father of Odin,Vili, andVe.

6. CREATION IN THE EDDAS
 For some reason the sons of Bor
decided to kill evilYmir.
 His blood caused a flood which
killed all of the frost giants except
for two, Bergelmir and his wife,
who escaped the deluge in their
boat.
 Odin,Vili, andVe putYmir’s
corpse into the middle of
Ginnungagap and created the
earth and sky from it.
 They also created the stars, sun,
and moon from sparks coming
out of Muspelheim.

7. CREATION IN THE EDDAS
Finally, the brothers
happened upon two logs
lying on the beach of the
newly-created ocean of
Ymir’s blood and
created the first two
humans from them.
They were named Ask
[formed from an ash
tree] and Embla [formed
from an alder tree].

8. THE NINE NORSE WORLDS
 The Norse believed that the
universe consists of nine worlds
that are divided into three
different levels or planes.
 Upper Level: Realm of the Gods
 Asgard
 Vanaheim
 Alfheim
 Middle Level: Realm of Mortals
 Midgard
 Jotenheim
 Nidavellir
 Svartalfheim
 Muspelheim
 Lower Level: Realm of the Dead
 Nifleheim (AKA Helheim)

9.  Yggdrasil is the Norse world tree.
 Its branches extend over all the known
worlds, while its length extends from
Asgard (the world of the gods) to
Midgard (world of man) to Hel’s realm
(Norse Hell, where the dead go).
 There are various birds as well as four
stags who occupy the branches of the
tree and feed from its leaves.
 The tree needs tending to, and that is
the task of the Norns.
 The Norns are three women who pour
water from a well over the roots of
Yggdrasil every day, keeping its bark
white.
 The tree produces honeydew, as well as
berries, which help women with
pregnancy.
YGGDRASIL: The WORLD
TREE

10. THE AESIR & VANIR
 The Norse gods are divided into
two races:The Aesir andThe
Vanir.
 The Aesir are dominant; they are
the gods most associated with
heroic tales, conflict with giants,
warfare, and the beginning and
end of the world.
 TheVanir tend to be fertility
deities; there are fewer of them.
 The Aesir make their home in
Asgard, whereas theVanir
inhabit Vanaheim.

11. THE REALM OF ASGARD
 Asgard, in Norse mythology, is one of the
nine worlds and the homeland of the Aesir,
the race of warrior gods.
 Located on the highest level of the Norse
universe, it is surrounded by a high wall of
closely fitted stone blocks.
 The walls surrounding Asgard were built
by the frost giant Hrimthurs, who asked,
in payment, the hand of the goddess
Freya, plus the sun & the moon.
 Odin agreed, providing the walls be
complete in six months.
 Hrimthurs had a magic horse, named
Svadilfari, who helped him in his work.
 To Odin's (and the other gods, especially
Freya's) horror, with but a few days left,
the giant was almost finished.
 Loki, the trickster god, turned himself into
a mare and beguiled the stallion Svadilfari
away.
 The job was not completed in time and no
payment was given.

12. ODIN: KING OF THE AESIR
 Odin is the leader of the Aesir.
 The child of Bor, he was the god of
warriors and kings, not the common
man.
 It is believed that not many people
worshipped him; he was thought to be
a tcapricious god, who would strike
down a warrior at his whim.
 He also had many functions including
being a god of war, poetry, wisdom, and
death.
 His halls were called Gladsheim
Valaskjalf andValhalla.
 Odin's throne, Hlidskialf, was in
Valaskjalf
 It was from this throne that he could
see over all the world.

13. ODIN: KING OF THE AESIR
Odin had a spear named
Grungir which never
missed its mark and a
bow that unleashed ten
arrows with every pull.
He also owned a magic
ring called Draupnir
which created nine of
itself every night.
It was this ring that Odin
later laid on his son
Baldur's funeral pyre.

14. ODIN: KING OF THE AESIR
 Another one of Odin's prized
possessions was his wonderful
steed named Sleipnir, who had
eight legs.
 The horse was the offspring of
Loki, who in mare form had
seduced the giant's horse,
Svadilfari.
 Sleipnir could travel to the
underworld and through the air.
 Odin also had two wolves, Geri
and Freki, and two ravens,
Hugin [thought] and Munin
[memory].
 He sent his ravens out every
day to gather knowledge for
him.

15. ODIN: KING OF THE AESIR
 It was Odin’s insatiable quest for
knowledge that led him to become
the king of the Aesir.
 The Eddas say that he stabbed
himself with his own spear and
hung himself onYggdrasil for nine
days and nights with his eyes
covered.
 He was then allowed to look, and
saw magic runes appear on rocks
beneath him.
 With a superhuman effort he
struggled to lift them.
 Running his eye over the mystic
symbols, he was instantly freed of
all encumbrances, restored and
rejuvenated with everlasting vigor
enabling him to rule over all the
gods.

16. ODIN: KING OF THE AESIR
Odin is always
depicted as an older,
powerful, bearded
warrior who has only
one of his eyes.
He traded the missing
eye for a sip from the
Well of Wisdom,
located at the very
base of the great
WorldTreeYggdrasil.

17. THE VALKYRIES
 According to Norse mythology,
Valkyries are a group of
maidens or goddesses who
served the god Odin and were
sent by him to the battlefields
to choose the slain who were
worthy of a place inValhalla.
 These foreboders of war rode to
the battlefield on horses,
wearing helmets and shields; in
some accounts, they flew
through the air and sea on
horseback.

18. THE VALKYRIES
 SomeValkyries had the power to
cause the death of the warriors
they did not favor; others,
especially heroineValkyries like
Brunhilde, guarded humans’ lives
and ships
 Viking Age stylized silver amulets
depicting women with long
gowns, their hair pulled back,
sometimes bearing forth drinking
horns have been discovered
throughout Scandinavia.
 These figures are commonly
considered to represent
Valkyries.

19. VALHALLA: THE WARRIORS REALM
 Valhalla is a great hall within
Gladsheim, with 540 doors.
 Only those chosen by the
Valkyries in battle find
themselves inValhalla and it is
a great honor.
 TheValkyries also serve mead
to the warriors who inhabit
Valhalla.
 The mead was the milk that
forever flowed from the udder
of Odin’s goat, Heidrun.
 TheValkyries also served the
warriors meat that came from
the boar Saehrimnir, which
would be prepared for eating by
boiling it in a magical cauldron.

20. VALHALLA: THE WARRIORS REALM
 After the warriors finished their
feast, the boar magically came
back to life before the next
meal.
 After eating, the warriors would
go outside the hall and fight
each other to the death.
 They were, of course, brought
back to life before the next
feast.
 Unbeknownst to the warriors of
Valhalla, all of this fighting was
actually practice for when Odin
would lead them in the final
battle, Ragnarok.

21. FRIGGA: THE MOTHER GODDESS
 Frigga was the goddess who married
Odin, making her the queen of the
gods.
 She, like her husband, Odin, was
allowed to sit on the throne and look
down and see all of the happenings of
the world.
 When she married Odin there was
much celebration in Asgard because
she was beloved by all.
 A celebration was held on each
anniversary of their marriage and she
was declared the patron of marriage.
 At Norse wedding feasts, she was
toasted along with Odin.
 Friday is named for her.

22. FRIGGA: THE MOTHER GODDESS
 She was the goddess of the air and
the clouds and was tall, beautiful,
and stately.
 She was also the goddess of
motherly love.
 Frigga preferred to stay in her own
palace and spin golden thread or
weave colored clouds.
 She enjoyed fashion and always
made appearances in exquisite
clothing wearing rich jewels.
 Frigga was also wise and
sometimes outwitted her
husband, Odin, the god of wit
himself.

23. THOR: GOD OF THUNDER
 The son of Odin and the goddess
Frigga, he was the god of thunder
and the main enemy of the giants.
 He would smash their heads with
his mighty hammer Mjollnir.
 To wield this awesome weapon he
needed iron gloves and a belt of
strength.
 Mjollnir would return toThor's
hand after being thrown and was
symbolic of lightning.
 Thor would ride around middle-
earth in his wagon drawn by two
goats.
 His abode wasThruthheim [Land of
Strength] and his hall, Bilskinir.
 His wife was Sif.

24. THOR: GOD OF THUNDER
 He was foremost of the gods to the
common man, who would call on
him to ensure fertility, and widely
worshiped.
 Hammer shaped amulets, a symbol
ofThor because it was his weapon,
were worn about the neck well into
the Christianization of Scandinavia.
 There are molds from that time
which contain both cross and
hammer shapes, side by side.
 His name occurs in numerous place
names, and it was his statue which
was central in the great temple at
Uppsala.

25. THOR: GOD OF THUNDER
 Thursday is named for him and he
was associated by the Romans with
Jupiter, therefore also parallel to
Zeus.
 They were all the wielders of
lightning bolts.
 Some claim that Odin is the Norse
equivalent to Zeus (Jupiter in
Roman culture), however, one
needs not look much further than
the name given to the fourth day of
the week by the Romans and then
to its English equivalent to see that
the ancients equated Odin with
Hermes instead (Mercury in Roman
culture).

26. FREYR: GOD OF FERTILITY
 As the god of weather and fertility, he
ruled over the land of the light elves,
Alfheim.
 He was the son of theVanir god Njord
and the twin brother of Freya.
 To make peace, the Aesir and Vanir
exchanged hostages; Freyr, along with
Njord and Freya, were sent to dwell
with the Aesir.
 He owned the ship Skidbladnir which
was made for him by dwarves.
 It could sail on the land, sea, or through
the air.
 It was large enough to hold all the gods,
yet could be folded up and fit into a
pocket.

27. FREYR: GOD OF FERTILITY
 He also owned a chariot drawn by
two boars, Gullinbursti and
Slidrugtanni.
 He could ride Gullinbursti [golden-
bristled] through the sky.
 His name means "Lord" and it is
thought that he was at one time
the consort of his sister Freya
[Lady].
 His wife was Gerd, a beautiful
giantess who he fell in love with
when he spied her from Odin's
throne.
 He sent his servant, Skirnir, to win
her for him.
 After Skirnir's threatening of her,
Gerd agreed to give herself to
Freyr.

28. FREYA: GODDESS OF LOVE
 Freya is the goddess of love,
fertility and sexual desire.
 She's also a feisty warrior and
leader of theValkyries.
 Legend states that she had a
husband named Od (although some
say Od was actually Odin).
 Somehow she lost him and got so
upset that she cried golden tears
which fell to the earth as amber.
 She had a chariot that was pulled
by cats.
 She also had a feather coat which
she used to fly between the
worlds.
 Some say that Friday is named
after her.

29. LOKI: GOD OF MISCHIEF & EVIL
 Loki was the god of trickery &
mischief.
 In his early days Loki was a rascal:
Crafty, sneaky, silly and malicious.
 The son of two giants, he was so
outrageously mischievous that he
even sneaked his way into
becoming a God.
 He was the first anti-hero, quick-
witting his way out of the tight
corners & confrontations caused
by his misdeeds.
 However, as time wore on, he
became increasingly nasty.

30. LOKI: GOD OF MISCHIEF & EVIL
 Loki becomes the chief instigator in
many of the Norse myths.
 He represents all the wickedness or
guile of mankind that seeks to undo
whatever is considered good.
 He has three children:
 Hel:The goddess of the dead
 Fenrir:The fierce warrior wolf
 Jormungand:The world serpent
 The Aesir feared his offspring, so they
cast two away.
 Loki’s wife is the giantess Angrboda
(also the children’s mother).
 Loki’s sworn enemy is the god Baldur.

31. BALDUR: GOD OF GOODNESS
 One of the Aesir, Baldur’s name
means "The Glorious".
 The son of Odin and Frigg, he is
described as a very handsome and
wise god.
 Some consider him to be a god of
light since he was so bright that light
shone from him.
 Baldur's wife was Nanna.
 At one point Baldur had a foreboding
dream of his own death.
 Odin rode to Hel's realm find out the
meaning of Baldur's dream.
 It was foretold that Baldur would be
killed by Hod, his fraternal twin.

32. BALDUR: GOD OF GOODNESS
 Frigg asked all things to
swear not to hurt Baldur, but
didn't ask the mistletoe
because it was so young.
 Loki, disguised as an old
woman, visited Frigg and
found out Baldur was
invulnerable to everything
but mistletoe.
 Loki then made a dart out of
mistletoe and tricked the
blind god Hod into throwing
it at Balder (all the other
gods were playing games by
throwing various items at
Balder), thus killing him.

33. BALDUR: GOD OF GOODNESS
 Hel agreed to return Balder
to the world of the living if
every living creature
mourned him.
 All complied – except for one
old giant woman named
Thokk – who was actually
Loki in disguise.
 When the other gods found
out about Loki’s treachery,
they condemned him to be
bound to a rock, with
serpent’s poison dripping
onto him.

34. HEL: GODDESS OF THE DEAD
 Half-dead Hel is the ruler of
Helheim, the barren, frozen
underworld with which she shares
her name.
 At turns ineffably beautiful and
mortifyingly terrible, Hel brooks no
argument within her realm and has
no pity for the sorrows or pleas of
the dead souls brought to it.
 For her, there is no end in sight; she
is not destined to die and will
remain forever in her realm,
shunned by the other Aesir for her
frightening looks and for being the
daughter of the infamous Loki, as
cold as the ice of Niflheim around
her.
 She bows to no law and recognizes
no authority but her own.

35. TYR: GOD OF JUSTICE
 Tyr, the one-armed god of
bravery and fair play, is a
taciturn and quiet god,
concerned with justice and the
right order of things.
 He is Odin's son and follows his
lead, seeking to adjudicate
disputes between the gods of
the Aesir as well as to safeguard
their lives and homes with the
strength of his arm.
 Selfless, brave and understated
despite the widely-known fact
that he is second only toThor in
physical might, he is a source of
quiet strength and an arm to be
counted on.

36. HEIMDALL: GUARDIAN GOD
 Heimdall is the guardian of Asgard; he
stands upon the rainbow bridge Bifrost
and prevents any but the Aesir from
entering, keeping their domain safe and
their enemies turned away.
 He is a god of incredible perceptive
acuity, able to hear the grass growing in
faraway Midgard or the footsteps of Hel
inside her fortress if he so chooses.
 No man has ever passed Heimdall
without his permission, and none ever
will until the inevitable battle of
Ragnarok.
 Heimdall is also the father of humanity,
according to Norse legend; in his travels
across the earth he took three mortal
lovers, and from them were born the
three classes of humanity.

37. Ragnarok: The End Of The
World
 Ragnarok was the end of the cosmos in Norse mythology.
 It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters.
 Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in
between.
 Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all
morality will disappear.
 This is the beginning of the end.
 The wolf Skoll will finally devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat
the moon, plunging the earth into darkness.
 The stars will vanish from the sky.
 The black rooster Fjalar will crow to the giants, the golden rooster
Gullinkambi will crow to the gods, while a third will raise the dead.

38. Ragnarok: The End Of The World
 The earth will shudder with
earthquakes, and every bond
and fetter will burst, freeing
the terrible wolf Fenrir.
 The sea will rear up
because Jormungand, the
Midgard Serpent, is twisting
and writhing in fury as he
makes his way toward the
land.
 With every breath,
Jormungand will stain the soil
and the sky with his poison.

39. Ragnarok: The End Of The
World
 The waves caused by the serpent's
emerging will set free the ship
Naglfar, and with the
giant Hymir as their commander,
the giants will sail towards the
battlefield.
 From the realm of the dead a
second ship will set sail, and this
ship carries the inhabitants of hell,
with Loki as their helmsman.
 The fire giants, led by the
giant Surt, will leave Muspelheim in
the south to join against the gods.
 Surt, carrying a sword that blazes
like the sun itself, will scorch the
earth.

40. Ragnarok: The End Of The World
 Meanwhile, Heimdall will sound his
horn, calling the sons of Odin and
the heroes to the battlefield.
 From all the corners of the world,
gods, giants, dwarves, demons and
elves will ride towards the huge
plain ofVigrid where the last battle
will be fought.
 Odin will engage Fenrir in battle,
andThor will attack Jormungand.
 Thor will be victorious, but the
serpent's poison will gradually kill
the god of thunder.
 Surt will seek out the sword-
less Freyr, who will quickly succumb
to the giant.

41. Ragnarok: The End Of The World
 The one-handedTyr will fight the
monstrous hound Garm and they
will kill each other.
 Loki and Heimdall, age-old
enemies, will meet for a final time,
and neither will survive their
encounter.
 The fight between Odin and Fenrir
will rage for a long time, but finally
Fenrir will seize Odin and swallow
him.
 Odin's sonVidar will leap towards
the wolf and kill him with his bare
hands, ripping the wolf's jaws
apart.

42. Ragnarok: The End Of The World
 Then Surt will fling fire in every
direction.
 The nine worlds will burn, and friends
and foes alike will perish.
 The earth will sink into the sea.
 After the destruction, a new and
idyllic world will arise from the sea
and will be filled with abundant
supplies.
 Some of the gods will survive, others
will be reborn.
 Wickedness and misery will no longer
exist and gods and men will live
happily together.
 The descendants of Ask and
Embla will inhabit this earth.

43. Fortsettelse...