Norse Mythology for Smart People - The Ultimate Online Guide to …
Norse Mythology for Smart People provides an accessible, entertaining, and reliable introduction to the Vikings’ mythology and religion, with scholarly sources cited for everything. Come on in …
Tales - Norse Mythology for Smart People
The body of stories that we today call “Norse mythology” formed one of the centerpieces of the pagan Norse religion. These are the tales that Viking poets recited in dimly lit halls to the …
Odin - Norse Mythology for Smart People
Odin (pronounced “OH-din”; Old Norse Óðinn, Old English and Old Saxon Woden, Old High German Wuotan, Wotan, or Wodan, Proto-Germanic *Woðanaz, “Master of Ecstasy”) is one of …
Runes - Norse Mythology for Smart People
The first systems of writing developed and used by the Norse and other Germanic peoples were runic alphabets. The runes functioned as letters, but they were much more than just letters in …
Thor's Hammer - Norse Mythology for Smart People
Of all of the symbols in Norse mythology, Thor’s Hammer (Old Norse Mjöllnir, pronounced roughly “MIOL-neer”) is one of the most historically important, and is probably the best known today. …
Loki - Norse Mythology for Smart People
Loki (pronounced “LOAK-ee;” Old Norse Loki, the meaning of which will be discussed below) is the wily trickster god of Norse mythology. While treated as a nominal member of the gods, …
Hel (The Underworld) - Norse Mythology for Smart People
Hel (Old Norse Hel, “Hidden;” [1] pronounced like the English word “Hell”) is the most general name for the underworld where many of the dead dwell. It’s presided over by a fearsome …
Gods and Creatures - Norse Mythology for Smart People
The gods and other numinous creatures of the Norse world include: The Aesir gods and goddesses , the main tribe of deities. They live in the celestial fortress Asgard and maintain …
Valhalla - Norse Mythology for Smart People
Valhalla (pronounced “val-HALL-uh”; Old Norse Valhöll, “the hall of the fallen” [1]) is the hall where the god Odin houses the dead whom he deems worthy of dwelling with him. According to the …
Thor - Norse Mythology for Smart People
Thor (Old Norse Þórr, Old English Đunor, Old High German Donar, Proto-Germanic *Þunraz, “Thunder” [1]) is one of the most prominent figures in Norse mythology.