The Norse mythology and its gods Have been a source of inspiration for a long repertoire of fiction, comics, novels and movies.
Nordic mythology is the set of religious stories and myths of the Vikings that revolved around fascinating and highly complex deities such as Odin, Thor, Freya and Loki.
Some Vikings gods
Before the Norse (Vikings) and other Germanic peoples converted to Christianity during the Middle Ages, they had their own highly sophisticated and complex religion.
The religion of the Norse and other Germanic peoples never had a name; Those who practiced it called it"tradition." They presented a very different world view of the cosmovision of modern science or of most modern religions. The pre-Christian Germanic religion was animistic, polytheistic, pantheistic and had a cyclical view of time.
Here we will give an account of the 22 most important gods and goddesses of Norse mythology, the Vikings gods who influenced the culture and customs of the villages of northeastern Europe.
List of 22 gods of Norse mythology
1- Odin
Its name means furor and is the most important god of the Norse mythology, being the king of the Gods. Son of the god Bor and of the giant Bestla, brother of Vili and Vé, dominates the war, the death, the wisdom, the poetry and the magic. Odin is, according to the legends, the father the first two humans: Ask and Embla.
In addition, it is in marriage with three women: Frigg, that symbolized the cultivated land and with whom it had Balder, Hoder and Hermod; Jörd, which symbolizes the uninhabited land and with whom he had Thor and Meili; And Ring, which symbolizes the winter and icy land, with it is Vali's father. He had other children, like Idun.
Among all his powers, Odin is recognized as the spirit of self-improvement, for the great challenges he had to overcome to be considered a god.
Just as he sacrificed his right eye when he was encouraged to drink from the spring of Mimir, where wisdom was found, which made him the wisest god, master of all universal knowledge.
Complex and unpredictable, he could be generous and reward intrepid warriors or be a traitor, making him one of the most feared creatures of creation.
Odin is depicted with a hat and a stick. He was always accompanied by two crows, called Hugin and Munnin, who represent the incarnation of memory and thought, respectively.
One of his most sacred possessions was a spear, known as Gungner (whose meaning is violent trembling or shaking), made by the dwarves, who had a shuddering power over those touched by her.
His legend was reflected in the comic Odin Of Marvel, but also appears in television series like Guardians of the Galaxy , Hulk , The Avengers Y Spiderman . He also came to the movies with the film Thor , Where the role of Odin was played by the famous Anthony Hopkins.
2- T Hor
With a large area of influence in Norse mythology, Thor is the god of thunder (word for his name), son of Odin and Jörd, and dominated the climate, crops, justice, battles, travel , Projection and consecration.
He is the husband of Sif and father of Þrúðr (Trude), a Valkyrie whose name represents power and strength. In addition, it has two children: Magni, with giant Gássa, and Móði, whose mother is not known.
Owning a very dangerous cholera, once in Asgard occupied one of the twelve armchairs of the great court room.
His weapon was a hammer, which looked proud and with which he crushed his enemies, the ice giant. The hammer had the wonderful ability to always return to the hands of its owner.
This character inspired the comic book Marvel, which was based on the film released in 2011. The lead role fell to Chris Hemsworth, who did not pass the casting in the first instance but the director (Kenneth Branagh) and producers decided to give him a second opportunity.
The film was a blockbuster with a collection of more than 449 million dollars. Its sequel came to light in 2013 and it is expected that by the end of 2017 will complete the saga with a third film with the same protagonists.
3- L Oki
Known as the origin of all fraud, Loki is a deceitful, deceitful and dark god, who dominates the fire, with all its benefits and prejudices.
The controversies of his figure, put it in the place of mythological beings, since despite being considered one of the gods had no worshipers or worship.
Odin considered him a brother until he assassinated his son Balder, so he was tied to three rocks. When Loki managed to escape, he fought against the gods in the final battle of the world.
His wives were Angrboda, Sigyn and Savadilfari, with whom he gave birth to numerous human creatures and monsters, such as the giant Fenrir, the serpent Jörmundgarder, the goddess Hela, Narfi, the giant eight-legged horse Sleipner, and Váli, who was Transformed into a rabid wolf as a condemnation of Odin.
4- T And r
It is the man with one hand, god of valor and war, is the patron of justice, which is represented by the spear he carries. It is described in some passage of the legends like son of Odín and Frigg, whereas in others it is considered as descendant of Frilla and giant Ymir.
He lost his arm when he was bitten by the monstrous wolf Fenrir, whom he had to feed. The animal was chained by the fear of Odin (who knew that his destiny was subject to the one of the wolf) but it was easily freed.
To control the beast, he ordered a magic shackle for the dwarves. Fenrir distrusted of this object and to allow that they put it it put like condition that one of the gods put an arm in its mouth. Tyr accepted the challenge and lost his arm.
In Anglo-Saxon languages, Tyr is represented on Tuesday dedicated to the god of war.
5- F Reya
She is one of the most important goddesses of Norse mythology, dominates love, beauty, fine material possessions and fertility, but also influences magic, prophecy, wealth, war and death.
In Germanic languages, its name is associated with Friday, the day of the god of love. In addition, his pseudonym is used to identify some poses of hypopressive exercises.
Freya was part of the Vanir tribe of the deities, but became an honorary member of the Æsir gods after the War between the Æsir and the Vanir. His father is Njord; His mother is unknown.
6- Frigg
It is, along with Freya, one of the greatest goddesses of Norse mythology, in fact in some legends they are considered the same creature, but they are not.
Frigg is the wife of Odin, goddess of the skies and queen of Æsir. Like Freya, she dominates fertility, love, but also governs the management of home, marriage, motherhood, and domestic arts.
This goddess has the power of prophecy, but (though it seems contradictory) she never tells what she sees. Next to Odin is the only creature that can sit on the throne of Hliðskjálf and observe the nine worlds.
He has three children, Balder, Hoder and Hermod, four stepchildren: Heimdall, Tyr, Vidar and Váli. With Thor the relationship is not very clear, some poems name them as brothers, while others as mother and stepson.
7- Frey
God of the sun and the rain, is son of Njord and brother of Freya. It is one of the main figures of the Vanir, one of the main pagan gods and dominates the vegetation.
This god received from the gods the Sword of Victory, symbol of the rays of the sun, that could move, fight and conquer of its own accord with only being drawn.
But Frey abandoned this sword to conquer Gerda, a virgin giant, from which he fell in love with a distracted and melancholy being.
When he obtained the authorization of his father to court the giant, he delivered his weapon as a reward. This is why no weapons are allowed inside the temples of his veneration.
8- Skadi
Skadi is the goddess of winter, her legend is one of the most interesting of Norse mythology. An archer, she decided to go after Asgard (the garden of the gods) after the Æsir murdered her father.
When he arrived, Odin offered him a truce: to put the eyes of his father as stars and to marry a god on the condition that he had to choose the candidate by just seeing his feet. He chose Njord, god of the sea; She preferred Balder.
The couple did not overcome their differences and ended up separating. Some claim that he later married Ullr, god of snow-skids and archery, while for other legends he had several children with Odin.
9-H Eimdall
One of the most powerful gods of Norse mythology, not for his powers but for his responsibilities.
He is the god of light, but he is the only being who, from the edges of the sky, controls the bridge of the rainbow, called Bifrost, which is the only entrance to Asgard, the garden of the gods.
He is the son of Odin and of nine giant women, owner of a sharp ear and eye, able to hear the grass grow, has a total perception. That's why his watch role. He is also the protagonist of one of Marvel comics.
10- Idunn
Goddess of eternal youth, she stands out for having the power to grant eternal life and youth to the gods she chooses with golden apples she carries in a box.
She is the wife of the viking warrior poet Bragi, son of Odin and god of poetry and bards (who transmitted the stories).
11- Nerthus
Goddess of nature, she was born in a forest and represents the new life that is reborn with the spring. When it is among humans, everyone must lay down their arms so that peace reigns.
12- Balder
Son of Odin and Frigg, he is the god of truth, justice and light. His mother sensed his death, when he began to dream of dark things.
Likewise, his death is epic: he asked the gods to throw all the damaging objects they could to prove his immortality, but during the challenge an arrow of Hoder (his blind brother) pierced his chest and died instantly.
13-N Jordan
God of the sea, fire and winds, joined the Æsir as hostage of the Vanir after the war that broke out between the two sides. She was chosen as Skadi's husband in a bad marriage. His figure is the subject of a series of scholarly texts and Germanic speeches.
14- Hoder
Another of the sons of Odin was a blind god who after killing (some say unintentionally to his brother Balder) died in the hand of Vali, also the son of Odin.
Hoder would have caused the death of Balder deceived by Loki, and Odin gave birth to Vali to revenge it. This god is present in the history of The Almighty Johnsons , A fantastic series in tone of drama and comedy of New Zealand.
15- Vidar
God of silence, vengeance, and justice, brave and taciturn during the final battle of the world, slain Fenrir, the beast that devoured his father Odin.
It will emerge in the reborn world after the Ragnarök, its destiny is to be next to its brother Vali and to govern the regenerated earth. Legend has it that the gods had contact with the forests and nature through it.
He is represented in a stout figure, of great stature, endowed with an armor and a sword with an important edge. Its particularity is its iron shoes with leather, designed by its mother, the giant Grid, with which it resisted and soon it defeated to Fenrir.
16- Forseti
Known for being the most knowledgeable and eloquent of the Asgard gods, he is the son of Balder and Nanna. God of justice, truth and peace, had a unique ability to resolve conflict with the power of mediation, so that his court was considered the best of all creation.
He got solutions that everyone considered fair, but only the most solemn sentences carried his signature. It did not participate in the war of the end of the world by its pacific character.
17- Nanna
Wife of Balder and mother of Forseti, Nanna died of pain after the death of its husband, at the hands of its brother.
The tragic story of this goddess was unleashed when in a macabre survival game, Balder was stabbed to death. She decided to set sail on a ship with her wife's corpse out to sea, where the boat burned. Thus, the pair returned to be united according to the legends of the Norse mythology.
There are different poems that name it, in many of them it is associated with skiers so it is inferred that their domains would be in the snow.
18- Hermod
Also son of Odin (with Frigg) and one of his closest assistants. Known as the son of God, he is brilliant and possesses an amazing speed of movement, so he is recognized as the agile god.
His virtues made him the ideal messenger of the gods, able to avoid any danger. As a servant of his father, he ran through all the places of creation to satisfy him.
He was the chosen one of the Æsir to go to Helheim, the kingdom of the death, with the mission of which the queen Hela returns to Balder to the garden of the gods.
19- Uller
God of winter and agriculture, he loved the cold and enjoyed moving with his skis, skins and skates throughout the creation. He was a skilful bow and arrow hunter in the woods.
He is the son of Sif and stepson of Thor, is unknown who is its father but the belief establishes it like one of the ice giants. When Skadi divorced from Njord, he was his wife.
20- Ran
Marine goddess whose power was to catch the drowned with an immense net to take them to their abode.
Its presence in the Norse mythology is scarce and its protagonism is given because it was considered that drowning was like falling into their jaws. Its name is associated with the word robo.
21- Gefjun
Perhaps its recognition is greater than that of many mythological gods of this list to possess a statue outstanding in Copenhagen, but also had protagonism in the Nordic legends.
Known as a seer, she received in her hall all the virgin deaths, so she is called the goddess of virtue. He had dominions over the plow and good fortune.
King Gylfi promised him a fair amount of land to plow in one night, she turned her four sons into oxen to fulfill her mission and that was portrayed in the statue of Copenhagen. It is believed that Gefjun was one of the alternative names of Freya, goddess of fertility.
22- Hnoss
Daughter of Freya, is the goddess of beauty, desire and lust, owner of a charm without equal in Norse mythology.
It is given its name to all the beautiful things of creation, in some legends it even translates as jewel or treasure.
Some reviews on Norse mythology
This tradition was maintained for centuries, even during the time of the Vikings, and still today they are conserved in some rural towns. Stories came to this day thanks to the Eddas (the collection of Norse mythological stories) and other medieval texts, which were recovered.
The Nordic cosmology was complex and particular. He based the general rules of the origin and evolution of the universe on a flat disk located in the branches of a tree, called Yggdrasil. There they inhabited different creatures in conflict with each other, like dragons, eagles, squirrels and hawks.
Known as the mansion of all divinities, Asgard, it is the garden of the gods, where the kings of divinity lived. This place is the opposite of the abode of monsters and giants, known as Utgard, and of men, called Mitgard.
In Asgard are also Valhalla, sky of the heroes, and Gladheim, palace of Odín. There the Æsir (gods) and the Asynjur (goddesses) dwelt there.
The gods had a form of government similar to the present republics, with an assembly headed by Odin, the noblest and most important of all the gods.
But there were several types of gods in Norse mythology, in addition to the Æsir. The Vanir, for example, who ruled with their desires the sea, wind, fire, rain, sun, love, forests and natural forces.
The difference between these gods was that the Æsir possessed a warlike character, while the Vanir were peaceful, however some gods were present in both dwellings.
Among other supernatural creatures, Norse mythology reserves a place also for giants (jotuns), trolls and demons, beings dangerous to man.
The map of mythological figures complete it: the nornas, who fix fate; The valkyries, warlike virgins chosen by Odin; The beasts, some good and some bad; And the dwarves and elves, who compose a special race, which was considered an evolution of the worms and was present in different passages of the literature of William Shakespeare.
But the difference between the gods and other supernatural creatures was that the former were mortal and could only reach the final battle of the world (Ragnarök) through the apple of Idunn, called eternal youth.
Many of the legends of this mythology had a strong ancestry in the Vikings, native Nordic people famous for their expeditions to other territories.
At present, the history of this town is narrated in the famous television series Vikings, in which the legends of Norse mythology and their gods are recovered. This production has four seasons and 46 chapters so far.