Legendary Gods Of The Vikings

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

- Odin

He was the God of all Gods. Valhalla was the Vikings afterlife, where all brave vikings went if they died valiantly in battle, Odin ruled this place. It was also said that Odinwas the God of magic, poetry and wisdom. It was also said that in order to drink from Mimir (the fountain of wisdom) he gave up an eye. The English named him Woden while the Germans named him Wotan. He had two ravens named Muninn and Huginn, each daythey would fly forth and discover what was happening throughout the world. Although pictured as an elderly one eyed man, he was still believed to be the almighty of every God, striking fear into the hearts of even the bravest Viking. Although Christianity came about, many still believed in Odin.

- Loki

Loki was thought to be an evil giant with wonderful looks who knew everything about the earth. Edda poetically said that Hel, the ruler of the underworld, and Loki would be the ones to command the forces of evil and battle to the end of the world, in a battle known as Ragnarok. It was also believed that the God of joy and light, Balder, was killed by Loki. Many called him the God of trickery because he would get other Gods to do his bidding through tricks. If the Vikings prayed to the Gods and yet nothing was done, they would often blame Loki.

- Hel

Hel was the goddess of the underworld. She was Loki’s daughter, hence why she was evil. The almighty God Odin was the one who cast Hel into Niflheim, a place also called Hel, and became it’s ruler. The name ‘Hell’ that we use for the afterlife where the damned go, was named thanks to Hel.

- Thor

Thor was the thunder God. He was an Aesir and the best among them, he helped guard them from giants. Thor is the Germanic term for thunder, he was armed with a massive hammer that was meant to represent a thunderbolt. He would throw the hammer in battle and it would automatically fly back to him after killing his enemies. The modern name for Thursday dates back to the vikings Thor’s day. Usually seen as a red haired and bearded giant of a man. He was seen as a God of war, just as Odin was which brought much respect and fear from the Vikings.

- Valkyries

Odin was served by warrior maidens called the Valkyries. Any warrior that died in battle would be taken to Odin by the Valkyries, where he would judge their prowess on the battlefield.

- Valhalla

This is where those killed in glorious battle were taken and where Odin ruled. It was a large hall constructed with 540 doors surrounding it, where 800 warriors could walk. Norse shields were what made up the roof.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Odin

Odin was the prominent deity of the Norsemen. He was called the All-Father. Odin was depicted as a middle aged man with long curly hair and a beard. His weapon, called Gungnir, was an infallible spear made by dwarfs. He was continuously accompanied by two ravens whose names were Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory). The two ravens informed Odin daily of the doings of the gods, giants, dwarfs, and men.

Odin's thirst for knowledge was so insatiable that he exchanged one of his eyes for the opportunity to drink from Yggdrasil, a sacred well which was filled with knowledge. Moreover, he offered himself as a sacrifice to learn the secret of the runes, or magic spells. That is why he pierced himself with a spear and then hanged himself for nine nights on the World Tree.

He visits the different realms disguised as a bird or a beast. His special attendants were the Valkyries, female valiant warriors. The role of the Valkyries was to take all the warriors slain in battle to Valhalla, a hall which was close to Odin's palace in Asgard, the city of Heaven.

Around the eighth and ninth centuries, Odin took over the role of the sky god, which previously belonged to Tyr. Odin and his brothers, Vili and Ve, created the world from the body of the primeval giant Ymir. Ymir's blood formed the sea, his flesh formed the earth, and his bones and teeth made up the mountains and the stones.

According to the myth of the Norsemen at the end of the present world, an unavoidable great battle among gods, giants, and men would take place bringing the destruction of the world. The name of this battle was Ragnarok. Only two beings would survive from the battle, Lif (life) and Lifthrasir(eager for life), who would bring the hope of a better world. At Ragnarok, Odin was swallowed by an enormous wolf that lived in the land of the gods.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=...