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The Building of Asgard’s Wall

Building Asgards WallLong after the Golden Age, it was still very early in the cycle of time. And long after the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, the wall around Asgard that the Vanir had razed with their battle-magic remained a ring of rubble, deserted, the home of eagles and ravens.

The gods were anxious that the wall should be rebuilt, so that Asgard would be safe from evil-doers, but none were eager to take the heavy burden of rebuilding on their own shoulders. This is how matters stood for some time until, one day, a solitary figure on horseback cantered over the trembling rainbow, and was stopped by the watchman Heimdall.

The War of the Aesir and Vanir

Odin did not extend a friendly welcome to the witch Gullveig when she came to visit him. In his hall the High One and many other Aesir listened with loathing as she talked of nothing but her love of gold, her lust of gold. They thought that the worlds would be better off without her and angrily seized and tortured her; they riddled her body with spears.

Kvasir

kvasirKvasir is referred to as the “wisest of the gods” in The Binding of Loki. It is he who comes up with the plan to fish Loki out of the water using the net he fashioned from Loki’s own design.

It is not entirely clear whether Kvasir is a god. In The Mead of Poetry he is “created” from the spittle of the gods.

Muspell

Of the nine worlds under Yggdrasill, Muspell, also known as Muspelheim, was the first to exist. It is said that Hel and Niflheim comprised one world making Muspell the ninth world however, Muspell had no place in the tricentric structure of the universe.

“It is light and hot that region flames and burns so that those who do not belong to it cannot endure it”
– Snorri Sturluson

Surt from MuspellMuspell is guarded by the giant Surt. Surt has a flaming sword and at the end of the world he will come and vanquish all the gods and burn the whole world with fire.

At Ragnarok, Surt is accompanied by the Sons of Muspell who will “form a host in themselves and that a very bright one.” They are said to break the Bifröst bridge as they and Surt cross, signaling the end of times.

The Creation

These tales have existed for thousands of years in the form of poems, songs and stories until put into written form in the early 11th century. Though several authors attempted to preserve them our “best” source is Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. This is the creation story. This is the first of the 32+ Norse Myths. My main source is the “The Norse Myths” by Kevin Crossley-Holland.

Norse mythology and Viking Gods 4

Norse mythology and Viking Gods 3

hotfactsgirls video

Norse mythology and Viking Gods 2

Norse mythology and Viking Gods 1

An excellent video courtesy of hotfactsgirls YouTube channel.

The Norse Gods

Sticky post

The Norse Gods are the mythological characters that, as far as we know, came from the Northern Germanic tribes of the 9th century AD. These stories were passed down in the form of poetry until the 11th – 18th centuries when the Eddas and other texts were written.

Norse mythology comprises the pre-Christian beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. Many of these sources however are said to be tainted by the Christian bias of the writers.

The myths presented on this website were derived from the works of Snorri Sturluson an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician (1179 – 1241). They are “said” to be the least biased writings of the lot. Sturluson’s works have been translated many times over and in many languages. The Myths on this site are largely based on the translations of Snorri Sturluson’s work by Kevin Crossley-Holland an English translator, children’s author and poet.

Norse mythology not only has it’s gods, goddesses and immortals but also a myriad of other characters and creatures that populate the stories including giants, dwarfs, monsters, magical animals and objects.

A List of The Norse Gods
Mythological Realms of The Norse Gods
The Norse Myths

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