Types of Beings

AesirGods of war and the heavens. Principle pantheon. VanirGods of the earth, prosperity, and fertility. Rarely did either group of gods interact with mortals.

Principle Figures
Balder Odin's son, gentle and handsome god Bragi god of poetry and music Fenrir monstrous wolf, child of Loki Freyja goddess of love and fertility, twin of Freyr
Mimir Njord giant who guards the well of knowledge sea god, father of Freyr and Freyja Jormungand Loki giant serpent trickster figure, companion to the gods

Freyr god of fertility and prosperity, twin of Freyja

Frigg wife of Odin, goddess of the sky, marriage, and childbirth Heimdall god who guards Asgard, the home of the gods Hel Idun goddess of the dead, child of Loki goddess of fertility, spring, and rebirth

Odin god of wisdom, battle, and poetry, and ruler of the gods Thor god of the sky and thunder, associated with the weather, crops, and warriors Tyr god of war, justice, and order female spirits, servants of

Valkyries Odin

Ymir frost giant whose body was used to form the world

Creation
In the beginning there Ginnungagap, a deep empty space between realms of heat and ice. Frost formed and became a giant, Ymir.

A cosmic cow named Audhumla also appeared. Licking the cliffs of ice, she revealed a man who had three grandsons, Odin, Vili, and V.
With his two brothers, Odin killed Ymir and formed the earth from his body, the seas and rivers from his blood, and the sky from his skull, which was held suspended above the earth by four strong dwarfs. The Voluspa says that Odin and his brothers made the first man and first woman out of an ash tree and an elm tree. They gave the humans life, intelligence, and beauty. ("The Lay of Vafthrudnir," however, says that the first man and first woman grew out of Ymir's armpits before he was killed.)

Nine Realms
1. 2. Created by the gods to order the universe: Top realms: Asgard, the home of the Aesir; Alfheim, where the good elves lived. Valhalla, the hall where Odin gathered the souls of warriors who died in battle, was located here. Bifrost connected the upper level to the middle. Middle realms: Midgard, the world of men; Vanaheim, home of the Vanir; Jotunheim, land of the giants; Nieflheim, land of ice; Muspellsheim, land of fire. A huge serpent called Jormungard encircled the middle level. Bottom realms: Svartalfaheim, the land of the dark elves; Helheim, after Loki's daughter Hel, who ruled.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

8. 9.

The tree Yggdrasil lies at the center, and holds these worlds together

Ragnarok
The Norse end times myth. Loki uses trickery to kill Balder, whose death was a sign that the orderly universe was falling apart.

The gods chained Loki to a rock, but eventually he will break loose and lead the giants in a last bitter battle against the gods and the greatest heroes from Valhalla.
The dwarves in Muspellsheim will destroy Bifrost, cutting off Midgard from Asgard, and monsters will run free. Fenrir will kill Odin, while Thor will perish slaying Jormungard. All worlds will be consumed by fire and flood. One man and one woman will survive, sheltered in Yggdrasil, to become the parents of a new human race. Some gods will also survive. This is predestined by fate.

Anu and Tiamat

Sumerian/Babylonian myth

The mother-beast Tiamat is born from the primeval waters

The god Anu (Marduk) comes and kills Tiamat.

He uses her body to create the world, much like how Ymirs was used in the Norse myth.

Names of Odin and Thor

Odin: Related to Assyrian Adin, meaning lord Thor: Related to Assyrian Thorus, meaning son

Odins Sacrifice
Odin crucified himself on a tree as a sacrifice to himself and to knowledge. Odin hung for nine days, and at the end of that time saw magic runes, which he learned the secrets of to resurrect himself through their magic.

The Importance of cattle

Meat from cattle is sustenance. Highly prized, and difficult to raise and keep after killing. Other examples of sacred cattle throughout religions (Golden calf in Islam, Cain and Abel, Hinduism, Greek and Sumerian myths). Does this imply contact? Probably not. But it shows how what is important to man is also godly.

What to take away

Geography heavily influences religion (ice and fire). That which is important culturally is considered sacred. Religion is an explanation by humans for the world in which they live.