| Odin God of gods. As god of war, Odin ruled in Valhalla, where all brave Viking warriors went after death in battle. Odin was the god of poetry, wisdom and magic, and he sacrificed an eye just for the privilege of drinking from Mimir, also known as the fountain of wisdom. The Germans called him Wotan, and the English Woden. His two black ravens, Huginn and Muninn, flew forth daily to gather tidings of events all over the world. He was often portrayed as an old man with only one eye, but regardless he was the most powerful of gods and every Viking feared and worshipped him. Even after Christianity, many succumbed to his wrath. |
Loki
He was a handsome giant who represented evil and possessed great knowledge about the world. According to the Poetic Edda Loki and Hel, goddess of the underworld, will lead the forces of evil against the gods in the struggle of Ragnarok the world's end. He was also responsible for the death of Balder, god of light and joy. He is often referred to as the god of mischief and trickery, for he often tricked other gods to do as he wished. The Vikings often blammed him when things didn't go as planned regardless of their prayers.
Hel
She was the goddess of the dead. Being the daughter of Loki (see above) she had evil associations. Odin, the god of gods, threw Hel into Niflheim itself also known as Hel, where she received full authority, respect and power. Our word "Hell" is rooted from her.
Thor
The god of thunder. Thor was the strongest of the Aesir, whom he helped protect from the giants. Named after the Germanic word for thunder, Thor used a hammer, which represented a thunderbolt. If thrown, the hammer would return to him like a boomerang while inflicting damage to his enemies. Thursday is named for Thor (Thor's day). He is often portrayed as red-haired and bearded. Along with Odin, he was a god of war and was feared and loved by the Vikings.
Frey
Frey was a fertility god of the the Vanir race. He was the son of Njord and came to Asgard as a hostage along with his father and sister Freya.
Freya
Freya was the goddess of sex and later also war and death. She married the god Od, who deserted her. After being abandoned she divided her time between mourning his absence and being promiscuous.
Idun
The goddess of spring and immortal youth was called Idun. She was the daughter of the dwarf Ivald and married to the god Bragi.
Sif
Sif was the goddess who married Thor and bore his stepson (by Odin), Ull. The vikings (and their gods) admired golden hair, and she was exceptionally proud of hers, so Loki cut it all off while she was asleep.
The Valkyries
They were warrior maidens who attended Odin. They also conducted slain warriors to the halls of Odin, for their judgemnt on how they fought.
Valhalla
The hall of slain heroes ruled by Odin. The hall had a total of 540 doors, each allowing up to 800 soldiers to walk. The roof was made of decorated Norse shields.
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