Norse mythology

For the historical religious tradition belonging to the North Germanic peoples, see Old Norse religion. For the book by Neil Gaiman, see Norse Mythology (book).

The Tjängvide image stone with illustrations from Norse mythology Mythology

Mythologies

Indeterminate

* Proto-Indo-European

Africa

* Berber
* Bantu
* Efik
* Guanche
* Kongo
* Lugbara
* Maasai
* Malagasy
* Mbuti
* Somali
* West African
* Yoruba

Mediterranean

* Egyptian
* French
* Greek
* Iberian
* Basque
* Catalan
* Cantabrian
* Lusitanian
* Italian
* Etruscan
* Roman
* Romanian
* Turkic

Europe

* Albanian
* Baltic
* Latvian
* Lithuanian
* Prussian
* Celtic
* Breton
* Cornish
* Irish
* Scottish
* Welsh
* English
* Estonian
* Georgian
* Germanic
* Nazi mythology
* Frankish
* Continental Germanic
* Norse
* Anglo-Saxon
* Gothic
* Slavic
* Uralic
* Finnish
* Hungarian
* Proto-Uralic
* Sámi

Middle East

* Arabian
* Armenian
* Christian
* Hittite
* Jewish
* Mesopotamian
* Ossetian
* Persian
* Talysh

Asia

* Buddhist
* Chinese
* Hindu
* Japanese
* Korean
* Meitei
* Mongol
* Philippine
* Tai
* Thai
* Tibetan
* Vietnamese

Oceania

* Aboriginal Australian
* Indonesian
* Māori
* Melanesian
* Micronesian
* Papuan
* Polynesian

North America

* Algonquian
* Abenaki
* Blackfoot
* Lenape
* Aztec
* Californian
* Miwok
* Ohlone
* Choctaw
* Muscogee/Creek
* Haida
* Inuit
* Iroquois
* Maya
* Kwakwakaʼwakw
* Plains Indians
* Ho-Chunk
* Lakota
* Pawnee
* Puebloan
* Hopi
* Zuni
* Talamancan

South America

* Brazilian
* Chaná
* Chilote
* Guarani
* Inca
* Muisca
* Selk'nam

Types

* Creation
* Flood
* National
* Origin

Lists

* Creations
* Creatures
* Deities
* Feral children
* Floods
* Heroes
* Culture
* Folk
* Objects
* Pairs
* Places
* Sources

Related concepts

* Deity
* Legendary creature
* Type
* Legendary progenitor
* Twins
* Culture hero
* Folk hero

See also

* Comparative mythology
* Comparative religion
* Euhemerism
* Folklore
* Epics
* Lower mythology
* Pseudo-mythology
* Religion and mythology
* Symbolism
* Theology

* v
* t
* e

Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The northernmost extension of Germanic mythology and stemming from Proto-Germanic folklore, Norse mythology consists of tales of various deities, beings, and heroes derived from numerous sources from both before and after the pagan period, including medieval manuscripts, archaeological representations, and folk tradition. The source texts mention numerous gods such as the thunder-god Thor, the raven-flanked god Odin, the goddess Freyja, and numerous other deities.

The god Loki, son of Fárbauti and Laufey

Most of the surviving mythology centers on the plights of the gods and their interaction with several other beings, such as humanity and the jötnar, beings who may be friends, lovers, foes, or family members of the gods. The cosmos in Norse mythology consists of Nine Worlds that flank a central sacred tree, Yggdrasil. Units of time and elements of the cosmology are personified as deities or beings. Various forms of a creation myth are recounted, where the world is created from the flesh of the primordial being Ymir, and the first two humans are Ask and Embla. These worlds are foretold to be reborn after the events of Ragnarök when an immense battle occurs between the gods and their enemies, and the world is enveloped in flames, only to be reborn anew. There the surviving gods will meet, and the land will be fertile and green, and two humans will repopulate the world.

Norse mythology has been the subject of scholarly discourse since the 17th century when key texts attracted the attention of the intellectual circles of Europe. By way of comparative mythology and historical linguistics, scholars have identified elements of Germanic mythology reaching as far back as Proto-Indo-European mythology. During the modern period, the Romanticist Viking revival re-awoke an interest in the subject matter, and references to Norse mythology may now be found throughout modern popular culture. The myths have further been revived in a religious context among adherents of Germanic Neopaganism.

## Terminology

[edit]

The historical religion of the Norse people is commonly referred to as Norse mythology. Other terms are Scandinavian mythology,[1][2][3] North Germanic mythology[4] or Nordic mythology.[5]

## Sources

[edit]

The Rök runestone (Ög 136), located in Rök, Sweden, features a Younger Futhark runic inscription that makes various references to Norse mythology.

Norse mythology is primarily attested in dialects of Old Norse, a North Germanic language spoken by the Scandinavian people during the European Middle Ages and the ancestor of modern Scandinavian languages. The majority of these Old Norse texts were created in Iceland, where the oral tradition stemming from the pre-Christian inhabitants of the island was collected and recorded in manuscripts. This occurred primarily in the 13th century. These texts include the Prose Edda, composed in the 13th century by the Icelandic scholar, lawspeaker, and historian Snorri Sturluson, and the Poetic Edda, a collection of poems from earlier traditional material anonymously compiled in the 13th century.[6]

The Prose Edda was composed as a prose manual for producing skaldic poetry—traditional Old Norse poetry composed by skalds. Originally composed and transmitted orally, skaldic poetry utilizes alliterative verse, kennings, and several metrical forms. The Prose Edda presents numerous examples of works by various skalds from before and after the Christianization process and also frequently refers back to the poems found in the Poetic Edda. The Poetic Edda consists almost entirely of poems, with some prose narrative added, and this poetry—Eddic poetry—utilizes fewer kennings. In comparison to skaldic poetry, Eddic poetry is relatively unadorned.[6]

Title page of a late manuscript of the Prose Edda written by Snorri Sturluson (13th century), showing the Ancient Norse Gods Odin, Heimdallr, Sleipnir, and other figures from Norse mythology

The Prose Edda features layers of euhemerization, a process in which deities and supernatural beings are presented as having been either actual, magic-wielding human beings who have been deified in time or beings demonized by way of Christian mythology.[7] Texts such as Heimskringla, composed in the 13th century by Snorri and Gesta Danorum, composed in Latin by Saxo Grammaticus in Denmark in the 12th century, are the results of heavy amounts of euhemerization.[8]

Numerous additional texts, such as the sagas, provide further information. The saga corpus consists of thousands of tales recorded in Old Norse ranging from Icelandic family histories (Sagas of Icelanders) to Migration period tales mentioning historic figures such as Attila the Hun (legendary sagas). Objects and monuments such as the Rök runestone and the Kvinneby amulet feature runic inscriptions—texts written in the runic alphabet, the indigenous alphabet of the Germanic peoples—that mention figures and events from Norse mythology.[9]

Objects from the archaeological record may also be interpreted as depictions of subjects from Norse mythology, such as amulets of the god Thor's hammer Mjölnir found among pagan burials and small silver female figures interpreted as valkyries or dísir, beings associated with war, fate or ancestor cults.[10] By way of historical linguistics and comparative mythology, comparisons to other attested branches of Germanic mythology (such as the Old High German Merseburg Incantations) may also lend insight.[11] Wider comparisons to the mythology of other Indo-European peoples by scholars has resulted in the potential reconstruction of far earlier myths.[12][13]

Only a tiny amount of poems and tales survive of the many mythical tales and poems that are presumed to have existed during the Middle Ages, Viking Age, Migration Period, and before.[14] Later sources reaching into the modern period, such as a medieval charm recorded as used by the Norwegian woman Ragnhild Tregagås—convicted of witchcraft in Norway in the 14th century—and spells found in the 17th century Icelandic Galdrabók grimoire also sometimes make references to Norse mythology.[15] Other traces, such as place names bearing the names of gods may provide further information about deities, such as a potential association between deities based on the placement of locations bearing their names, their local popularity, and associations with geological features.[16]

## Mythology

[edit]

### Gods and other beings

[edit]

Main articles: Æsir, Vanir, and Jötnar

See also: List of Norse gods and goddesses

The god Thor wades through a river, while the Æsir ride across the bridge, Bifröst, in an illustration by Lorenz Frølich (1895).

Central to accounts of Norse mythology are the plights of the gods and their interaction with various other beings, such as with the jötnar, who may be friends, lovers, foes, or family members of the gods. Numerous gods are mentioned in the source texts. As evidenced by records of personal names and place names, the most popular god among the Scandinavians during the Viking Age was Thor the thunder god, who is portrayed as unrelentingly pursuing his foes, his mountain-crushing, thunderous hammer Mjölnir in hand. In the mythology, Thor lays waste to numerous jötnar who are foes to the gods or humanity, and is wed to the beautiful, golden-haired goddess Sif.[17]

The god Odin is also frequently mentioned in surviving texts. One-eyed, wolf\- and raven-flanked, with a spear in hand, Odin pursues knowledge throughout the nine realms. In an act of self-sacrifice, Odin is described as having hung himself upside-down for nine days and nights on the cosmological tree Yggdrasil to gain knowledge of the runic alphabet, which he passed on to humanity; he is also associated closely with death, wisdom, and poetry. Odin is portrayed as the ruler of Asgard, and leader of the Aesir. Odin's wife is the powerful goddess Frigg who can see the future but tells no one, and together they have a beloved son, Baldr. After a series of dreams had by Baldr of his impending death, his death is engineered by Loki, and Baldr thereafter resides in Hel, a realm ruled over by an entity of the same name.[18]

Odin must share half of his share of the dead with a powerful goddess, Freyja. She is beautiful, sensual, wears a feathered cloak, and practices seiðr. She rides to battle to choose among the slain and brings her chosen to her afterlife field Fólkvangr. Freyja weeps for her missing husband Óðr and seeks after him in faraway lands.[19] Freyja's brother, the god Freyr, is also frequently mentioned in surviving texts, and in his association with the weather, royalty, human sexuality, and agriculture brings peace and pleasure to humanity. Deeply lovesick after catching sight of the beautiful jötunn Gerðr, Freyr seeks and wins her love, yet at the price of his future doom.[20] Their father is the powerful god Njörðr. Njörðr is strongly associated with ships and seafaring, and so also wealth and prosperity. Freyja and Freyr's mother is Njörðr's unnamed sister (her name is unprovided in the source material). However, there is more information about his pairing with the skiing and hunting goddess Skaði. Their relationship is ill-fated, as Skaði cannot stand to be away from her beloved mountains, nor Njörðr from the seashore.[21] Together, Freyja, Freyr, and Njörðr form a portion of gods known as the Vanir. While the Aesir and the Vanir retain distinct identification, they came together as the result of the Aesir–Vanir War.[22]

While they receive less mention, numerous other gods and goddesses appear in the source material. (For a list of these deities, see List of Germanic deities.) Some of the gods heard less of include the apple-bearing goddess Iðunn and her husband, the skaldic god Bragi; the gold-toothed god Heimdallr, born of nine mothers; the ancient god Týr, who lost his right hand while binding the great wolf Fenrir; and the goddess Gefjon, who formed modern-day Zealand, Denmark.[23]

Various beings outside of the gods are mentioned. Elves and dwarfs are commonly mentioned and appear to be connected, but their attributes are vague and the relation between the two is ambiguous. Elves are described as radiant and beautiful, whereas dwarfs often act as earthen smiths.[24] A group of beings variously described as jötnar, thursar, and trolls (in English these are all often glossed as "giants") frequently appear. These beings may either aid, deter, or take their place among the gods.[25] The Norns, dísir, and aforementioned valkyries also receive frequent mention. While their functions and roles may overlap and differ, all are collective female beings associated with fate.[26]

### Cosmology

[edit]

The cosmological, central tree Yggdrasil is depicted in The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (1886). Sól, the Sun, and Máni, the Moon, are chased by the wolves Sköll and Háti in The Wolves Pursuing Sol and Mani by J. C. Dollman (1909).

In Norse cosmology, all beings live in Nine Worlds that center around the cosmological tree Yggdrasil. The gods inhabit the heavenly realm of Asgard whereas humanity inhabits Midgard, a region in the center of the cosmos. Outside of the gods, humanity, and the jötnar, these Nine Worlds are inhabited by beings, such as elves and dwarfs. Travel between the worlds is frequently recounted in the myths, where the gods and other beings may interact directly with humanity. Numerous creatures live on Yggdrasil, such as the insulting messenger squirrel Ratatoskr and the perching hawk Veðrfölnir. The tree itself has three major roots, and at the base of one of these roots live the Norns, female entities associated with fate.[27] Elements of the cosmos are personified, such as the Sun (Sól, a goddess), the Moon (Máni, a god), and Earth (Jörð, a goddess), as well as units of time, such as day (Dagr, a god) and night (Nótt, a jötunn).[28]

The afterlife is a complex matter in Norse mythology. The dead may go to the murky realm of Hel—a realm ruled over by a female being of the same name, may be ferried away by valkyries to Odin's martial hall Valhalla, or may be chosen by the goddess Freyja to dwell in her field Fólkvangr.[29] The goddess Rán may claim those that die at sea, and the goddess Gefjon is said to be attended by virgins upon their death.[30] Texts also make reference to reincarnation.[31] Time itself is presented between cyclic and linear, and some scholars have argued that cyclic time was the original format for the mythology.[32] Various forms of a cosmological creation story are provided in Icelandic sources, and references to a future destruction and rebirth of the world—Ragnarok—are frequently mentioned in some texts.[33]

### Humanity

[edit]

According to the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda poem, Völuspá, the first human couple consisted of Ask and Embla; driftwood found by a trio of gods and imbued with life in the form of three gifts. After the cataclysm of Ragnarok, this process is mirrored in the survival of two humans from a wood; Líf and Lífþrasir. From these two humankind is foretold to repopulate the new and green earth.[34]

## See also

[edit]

* Mythology portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norse mythology.

* Alliterative verse
* Family tree of the Norse gods
* List of Germanic deities
* List of valkyrie names in Norse mythology
* Greek mythology
* Roman mythology
* The horse in Nordic mythology

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rooth, Anna Birgitta (1961). Loki in Scandinavian Mythology. C. W. K. Gleerup. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
2. ^ Lindow, John (1997). Murder and vengeance among the gods: Baldr in Scandinavian mythology, Edition 262. Suomalainen tiedeakatemia. ISBN 9514108094. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
3. ^ Lindow, John (1988). Scandinavian Mythology: An Annotated Bibliography. Garland Pub. ISBN 0824091736. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
4. ^ Murdoch, Brian; Hardin, James N.; Read, Malcolm Kevin (2004). Early Germanic Literature and Culture. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 98–99\. ISBN 157113199X. "Of even more importance is Snorri Sturluson, the Icelandic scholar and politician, who did our knowledge of heathen religion such good service... he offers a scholarly portrayal of Old Norse mythology, which is admittedly heavily influenced by his Christian education and classical education, but remains nonetheless our most important medieval source for North Germanic mythology."
5. ^ Colum, Padraic (2012). Nordic Gods and Heroes. Courier Corporation. ISBN 9780486119359. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
6. ^ a b Faulkes (1995), pp. vi–xxi, and Turville-Petre (1964), pp. 1–34.
7. ^ Faulkes (1995), pp. xvi–xviii.
8. ^ Turville-Petre (1964), pp. 27–34.
9. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 11–12, Turville-Petre (1964), pp. 17–21, and MacLeod & Mees (2006), pp. 27–28, 216.
10. ^ Regarding the dísir, valkyries, and figurines (with images), see Lindow (2001), pp. 95–97. For hammers, see Simek (2007), pp. 218–19, and Lindow (2001), pp. 288–89.
11. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 29–30, 227–28, and Simek (2007), pp. 84, 278.
12. ^ Puhvel (1989), pp. 189–221
13. ^ Mallory (2005), pp. 128–42
14. ^ Turville-Petre (1964), p. 13.
15. ^ Regarding Ragnhild Tregagås, see MacLeod & Mees (2006), p. 37\. For Galdrabók, see Flowers (1989), p. 29.
16. ^ Turville-Petre (1964), pp. 2–3, 178.
17. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 287–91.
18. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 128–29, 247–52.
19. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 118, 126–28.
20. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 121–22.
21. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 241–43.
22. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 311–12.
23. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 86–88, 135–37, 168–72, 198–99, 297–99.
24. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 99–102, 109–10, and Simek (2007), pp. 67–69, 73–74.
25. ^ Simek (2007), pp. 108–09, 180, 333, 335.
26. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 95–97, 243–46. Simek (2007), pp. 62–62, 236–37, 349.
27. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 319–32. Simek (2007), pp. 375–76.
28. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 91–92, 205–06, 222–23, 278–80.
29. ^ For Hel, see Lindow (2001), p. 172, and Orchard (1997), p. 79\. For Valhalla, see Lindow (2001), pp. 308–09, and Orchard (1997), pp. 171–72. For Fólkvangr, see Lindow (2001), p. 118, and Orchard (1997), p. 45.
30. ^ For Rán, see Lindow (2001), pp. 258–59, and Orchard (1997), p. 129\. For Gefjon, see Orchard (1997), p. 52.
31. ^ Orchard (1997), p. 131.
32. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 42–43.
33. ^ Lindow (2001), pp. 1–2, 40, 254–58.
34. ^ Simek (2007), p. 189.

### General sources

[edit]

* Edda: Snorri Sturluson. Translated by Faulkes, Anthony. Everyman. 1995. ISBN 0-460-87616-3.
* Flowers, Stephen (1989). The Galdrabók: An Icelandic Grimoire. S. Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-685-X.
* Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515382-0.
* MacLeod, Mindy; Mees, Bernard (2006). Runic Amulets and Magic Objects. Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-205-4. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
* Mallory, J. P. (2005). In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology and Myth. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-27616-1.
* Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-34520-2.
* Puhvel, Jaan (1989). Comparative Mythology. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-3938-6.
* Turville-Petre, E. O. G. (1964). Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
* Simek, Rudolf (2007). Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Translated by Hall, Angela. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 978-0-85991-513-7.

## Further reading

[edit]

### General secondary works

[edit]

* Abram, Christopher (2011). Myths of the Pagan North: the Gods of the Norsemen. London: Continuum. ISBN 978-1-84725-247-0.
* Aðalsteinsson, Jón Hnefill (1998). A Piece of Horse Liver: Myth, Ritual and Folklore in Old Icelandic Sources (translated by Terry Gunnell & Joan Turville-Petre). Reykjavík: Félagsvísindastofnun. ISBN 9979-54-264-0.
* Andrén, Anders. Jennbert, Kristina. Raudvere, Catharina. (editors) (2006). Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes, and Interactions. Lund: Nordic Academic Press. ISBN 91-89116-81-X.
* Branston, Brian (1980). Gods of the North. London: Thames and Hudson. (Revised from an earlier hardback edition of 1955). ISBN 0-500-27177-1.
* Christiansen, Eric (2002). The Norsemen in the Viking Age. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-4964-7.
* Clunies Ross, Margaret (1994). Prolonged Echoes: Old Norse Myths in Medieval Northern Society, vol. 1: The Myths. Odense: Odense Univ. Press. ISBN 87-7838-008-1.
* Davidson, H. R. Ellis (1964). Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Baltimore: Penguin. New edition 1990 by Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-013627-4. (Several runestones)
* Davidson, H. R. Ellis (1969). Scandinavian Mythology. London & New York: Hamlyn. ISBN 0-87226-041-0. Reissued 1996 as Viking and Norse Mythology. New York: Barnes and Noble.
* Davidson, H. R. Ellis (1988). Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Univ. Press. ISBN 0-8156-2438-7.
* Davidson, H. R. Ellis (1993). The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04937-7.
* de Vries, Jan. Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, 2 vols., 2nd. ed., Grundriss der germanischen Philologie, 12–13. Berlin: W. de Gruyter.
* DuBois, Thomas A. (1999). Nordic Religions in the Viking Age. Philadelphia: Univ. Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1714-4.
* Dumézil, Georges (1973). Gods of the Ancient Northmen. Ed. & trans. Einar Haugen. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03507-0.
* Grimm, Jacob (1888). Teutonic Mythology, 4 vols. Trans. S. Stallybras. London. Reprinted 2003 by Kessinger. ISBN 0-7661-7742-4, ISBN 0-7661-7743-2, ISBN 0-7661-7744-0, ISBN 0-7661-7745-9. Reprinted 2004 Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-43615-2 (4 vols.), ISBN 0-486-43546-6, ISBN 0-486-43547-4, ISBN 0-486-43548-2, ISBN 0-486-43549-0.
* Lindow, John (1988). Scandinavian Mythology: An Annotated Bibliography, Garland Folklore Bibliographies, 13. New York: Garland. ISBN 0-8240-9173-6.
* Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515382-0. (A dictionary of Norse mythology.)
* Mirachandra (2006). Treasure of Norse Mythology Volume I ISBN 978-3-922800-99-6.
* Motz, Lotte (1996). The King, the Champion and the Sorcerer: A Study in Germanic Myth. Wien: Fassbaender. ISBN 3-900538-57-3.
* O'Donoghue, Heather (2007). From Asgard to Valhalla: the remarkable history of the Norse myths. London: I. B. Tauris. ISBN 1-84511-357-8.
* Orchard, Andy (1997). Cassell's Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-36385-5.
* Page, R. I. (1990). Norse Myths (The Legendary Past). London: British Museum; and Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-75546-5.
* Price, Neil S (2002). The Viking Way: Religion and War in Late Iron Age Scandinavia. Uppsala: Dissertation, Dept. Archaeology & Ancient History. ISBN 91-506-1626-9.
* Simek, Rudolf (1993). Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Trans. Angela Hall. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-369-4. New edition 2000, ISBN 0-85991-513-1.
* Simrock, Karl Joseph (1853–1855) Handbuch der deutschen Mythologie.
* Svanberg, Fredrik (2003). Decolonizing the Viking Age. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell. ISBN 9122020063 (v. 1); ISBN 9122020071 (v. 2).
* Turville-Petre, E O Gabriel (1964). Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Reprinted 1975, Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-8371-7420-1.

### Romanticism

[edit]

* Anderson, Rasmus (1875). Norse Mythology, or, The Religion of Our Forefathers. Chicago: S.C. Griggs.
* Guerber, H. A. (1909). Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas. London: George G. Harrap. Reprinted 1992, Mineola, NY: Dover. ISBN 0-486-27348-2.
* Keary, A & E (1909), The Heroes of Asgard. New York: Macmillan Company. Reprinted 1982 by Smithmark Pub. ISBN 0-8317-4475-8. Reprinted 1979 by Pan Macmillan ISBN 0-333-07802-0.
* Mable, Hamilton Wright (1901). Norse Stories Retold from the Eddas. Mead and Company. Reprinted 1999, New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-7818-0770-0.
* Mackenzie, Donald A (1912). Teutonic Myth and Legend. New York: W H Wise & Co. 1934. Reprinted 2003 by University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 1-4102-0740-4.
* Rydberg, Viktor (1889). Teutonic Mythology, trans. Rasmus B. Anderson. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. Reprinted 2001, Elibron Classics. ISBN 1-4021-9391-2. Reprinted 2004, Kessinger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7661-8891-4.

### Modern retellings

[edit]

* Bradish, Sarah Powers (1900). Old Norse stories. New York: American Book Company / Internet Archive.
* Colum, Padraic (1920). The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths, illustrated by Willy Pogány. New York: Macmillan. Reprinted 2004 by Aladdin, ISBN 0-689-86885-5.
* Crossley-Holland, Kevin (1981). The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-394-74846-8. Also released as The Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings. Harmondsworth: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-025869-8.
* d'Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar (1967). "d'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths". New York, New York Review of Books.
* Munch, Peter Andreas (1927). Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes, Scandinavian Classics. Trans. Sigurd Bernhard Hustvedt (1963). New York: American–Scandinavian Foundation. ISBN 0-404-04538-3.
* Gaiman, Neil (2017). Norse Mythology. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-60909-X.
* Syran, Nora Louise (2000). Einar's Ragnarok

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Norse mythology at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Old Norse religion and mythology

Mythological Norse people, items and places

Deities,
dwarfs, jötnar,
and other figures

| Æsir|

* Almáttki áss
* Baldr
* Bragi
* Dellingr
* Forseti
* Heimdall
* Hermóðr
* Höðr
* Hœnir
* Ítreksjóð
* Lóðurr
* Loki
* Máni
* Meili
* Mímir
* Móði and Magni
* Odin
* Óðr
* Thor
* Týr
* Ullr
* Váli (son of Odin)
* Víðarr
* Vili and Vé

|

Ásynjur|

* Bil
* Eir
* Frigg
* Fulla
* Gefjon
* Gerðr
* Gná
* Hlín
* Iðunn
* Ilmr
* Irpa
* Lofn
* Nanna
* Njörun
* Rán
* Rindr
* Sága
* Sif
* Sigyn
* Sjöfn
* Skaði
* Snotra
* Sól
* Syn
* Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr
* Þrúðr
* Vár
* Vör

Vanir|

* Freyja
* Freyr
* Ingunar-Freyr
* Yngvi
* Gersemi
* Gullveig
* Hnoss
* Kvasir
* Njörðr
* Sister-wife of Njörðr

Jötnar|

* Ægir
* Alvaldi
* Angrboða
* Aurboða
* Baugi
* Beli
* Bergelmir
* Bestla
* Bölþorn
* Býleistr
* Eggþér
* Fárbauti
* Fjölvar
* Fornjót
* Gangr
* Geirröðr
* Gillingr
* Gjálp and Greip
* Gríðr
* Gunnlöð
* Gymir
* Harðgreipr
* Helblindi
* Helreginn
* Hljod
* Hræsvelgr
* Hrímgerðr
* Hrímgrímnir
* Hrímnir
* Hroðr
* Hrungnir
* Hrymr
* Hymir
* Hyrrokkin
* Iði
* Ím
* Járnsaxa
* Laufey
* Leikn
* Litr
* Logi
* Mögþrasir
* Narfi (father of Nott)
* Sökkmímir
* Surtr
* Suttungr
* Þjazi
* Þökk
* Þrívaldi
* Þrúðgelmir
* Þrymr
* Útgarða-Loki
* Vafþrúðnir
* Víðblindi
* Vosud
* Vörnir
* Ymir

Dwarfs|

* Alvíss
* Andvari
* Austri, Vestri, Norðri and Suðri
* Billingr
* Dáinn
* Durinn
* Dúrnir
* Dvalinn
* Fáfnir
* Fjalar and Galar
* Gandalf
* Hreiðmarr
* Litr
* Mótsognir
* Ótr
* Regin
* Sons of Ivaldi
* Brokkr
* Eitri

Heroes|

* List of figures in Germanic heroic legend
* A
* B–C
* D–E
* F–G
* H–He
* Hi–Hy
* I–O
* P–S
* T–Y
* people, clan, and place names in Germanic heroic legend
* named animals and plants
* named weapons, armour and treasures

Others|

* Ask and Embla
* Auðr
* Auðumbla
* Aurvandill
* Beyla
* Borr
* Búri
* Byggvir
* Dísir
* Landdísir
* Dragons
* Draugs
* Einherjar
* Eldir
* Elves
* Dark elves (Dökkálfar)
* Light elves (Ljósálfar)
* Black elves (Svartálfar)
* Fimafeng
* Fjalar (rooster)
* Fenrir
* Fjörgyn and Fjörgynn
* Fylgja
* Garmr
* Gullinbursti
* Hati Hróðvitnisson
* Hel
* Hildisvíni
* Hjúki
* Horses of the Æsir
* Árvakr and Alsviðr
* Blóðughófi
* Falhófnir
* Gísl
* Glaðr
* Glær
* Glenr
* Grani
* Gullfaxi
* Gulltoppr
* Gyllir
* Hamskerpir and Garðrofa
* Hófvarpnir
* Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi
* Sleipnir
* Svaðilfari
* Jörð
* Jörmungandr
* Líf and Lífthrasir
* Loddfáfnir
* Móðguðr
* Nine Daughters of Ægir and Rán
* Nine Mothers of Heimdallr
* Narfi (son of Loki)
* Níðhöggr
* Norns
* Personifications
* Dagr
* Elli
* Nótt
* Sumarr and Vetr
* Sæhrímnir
* Skírnir
* Sköll
* Shield-maiden
* Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr
* Troll
* Þjálfi and Röskva
* Vættir
* Landvættir
* Váli (son of Loki)
* Valkyries
* Völundr
* Vörðr

Places
(Cosmology)|

| Underworld|

* Hel
* Éljúðnir
* Gjallarbrú
* Náströnd
* Niflhel
* Niðafjöll

|

Rivers|

* Élivágar
* Gjöll
* Ífingr
* Kerlaugar
* Körmt and Örmt
* Slidr River
* Vadgelmir
* Vimur River

Other locations|

* Asgard
* Amsvartnir
* Andlang
* Barri
* Bifröst
* Bilskirnir
* Brávellir
* Brimir
* Fensalir
* Fólkvangr
* Fornsigtuna
* Fyrisvellir
* Gálgviðr
* Gandvik
* Gastropnir
* Gimlé
* Ginnungagap
* Glaðsheimr
* Glæsisvellir
* Glitnir
* Gnipahellir
* Grove of fetters
* Heiðr
* Himinbjörg
* Hindarfjall
* Hlidskjalf
* Hnitbjorg
* Hoddmímis holt
* Iðavöllr
* Járnviðr
* Jötunheimr
* Mímameiðr
* Myrkviðr
* Munarvágr
* Nóatún
* Okolnir
* Sessrúmnir
* Sindri
* Singasteinn
* Þrúðheimr
* Þrúðvangr
* Þrymheimr
* Uppsala
* Útgarðar
* Valaskjálf
* Valhalla
* Vanaheimr
* Víðbláinn
* Vígríðr
* Vingólf
* Wells
* Hvergelmir
* Mímisbrunnr
* Urðarbrunnr
* Ýdalir
* Yggdrasil

Events|

* Æsir–Vanir War
* Fimbulvetr
* Fróði's Peace
* Hjaðningavíg
* Ragnarök

Sources|

* Gesta Danorum
* Edda
* Poetic Edda
* Prose Edda
* Runestones
* Sagas
* Jómsvíkinga
* Legendary
* Tyrfing Cycle
* Völsung Cycle
* Old Norse language
* Orthography
* Later influence

Society|

| Religious practice|

* Anthropomorphic wooden cult figurines of Central and Northern Europe
* Blót
* Hof
* Heitstrenging
* Horses
* Hörgr
* Worship
* Öndvegissúlur
* Reginnaglar
* Sacred trees and groves
* Sonargöltr
* Temple at Uppsala
* Til árs ok friðar
* Vé
* Wetlands and islands

|

Festivals and holy periods|

* Álfablót
* Dísablót
* Germanic calendar
* Þorrablót
* Vetrnætr
* Yule

Other|

* Death
* Ergi
* Félag
* Galdr
* Goði
* Hamingja
* Heiti
* Kenning
* Mead hall
* Nīþ
* Numbers
* Philosophy
* Rings
* Runes
* Seiðr
* Skald
* Viking Age
* Völva

See also|

* Family tree of the Norse gods
* Germanic paganism
* Heathenry (new religious movement)
* Nordic Bronze Age

* v
* t
* e

Mythology of Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

* v
* t
* e

Vikings

Culture|

* Blót
* Brisingamen
* Danegeld
* Dís
* Eddas
* Einherjar
* Futhark
* Elder Futhark
* Younger Futhark
* Germanic deities
* Gothi
* Hnefatafl
* Holmgang
* Leysingi
* Mjölnir
* Norsemen
* Norse funeral (ship burial)
* Norse mythology
* Norse rituals
* Old Norse
* Old Norse religion
* Raven banner
* Sagas
* Skald
* Seeress
* Skíðblaðnir
* Thrall
* Tyrfing
* Valhalla
* Valkyrie
* Viking Age
* Viking art
* Viking runestones
* Viking Age trade
* Wergeld
* Yggdrasil

Ships
and navigation|

* Knarr
* Longship
* Viking ships
* Viking ship replica
* Visby lenses

Homelands
and colonies|

* North Sea Empire
* Iceland
* Greenland
* Orkney Islands
* Shetland
* Faroe Islands
* North America
* L'Anse aux Meadows
* Vinland
* Jomsborg
* Kievan Rus'

Expansion|

* British Isles
* Danelaw
* Anglia
* Mercia
* York
* Isle of Man
* Scotland
* Wessex
* France
* Brittany
* Normandy
* Rhineland
* Pomerania
* Estonia
* Iberia
* Dublin
* Italy

Battles|

* Raid warfare and tactics
* Battle of Aclea
* First Battle of Alton
* Battle of Anglesey Sound
* Battle of Ashdown
* Battle of Assandun
* Battle of Basing
* Battle of Barry
* Battle of Bauds
* Battle of Benfleet
* Battle of Brávellir
* Battle of Brentford (1016)
* Battle of Brissarthe
* Battle of Brunanburh
* Battle of Buttington
* Battle of Cathair Cuan
* Battle of Chippenham
* Battle of Clontarf
* Battle of Confey
* Battle of Corbridge
* Battle of Cynwit
* Battle of Derby
* Battle of Dollar
* Battle of Edington
* Battle of Englefield
* Battle of Epiphany
* Battle of Fitjar
* Battle of Florvåg
* Battle of Fulford
* Battle of Fýrisvellir
* Battle of Glenmama
* Battle of Hafrsfjord
* Battle of Helgeå
* Battle of Hingston Down
* Battle of the Holme
* Battle of Hjörungavágr
* Battle of Islandbridge
* Battle of Largs
* Battle of Leuven (891)
* Battle of London Bridge
* Battle of Lüneburg Heath
* Battle of Lyrskov Heath
* Battle of Mag Femen
* Battle of Maldon
* Battle of Meretun
* Battle of Nesjar
* Battle of Niså
* Battle of Norditi
* Battle of Pinhoe
* Battle of Rastarkalv
* Battle of Reading (871)
* Battle of Renfrew
* Battle of Remich
* Battle of Ringmere
* Battle of Rochester
* Battle of Sasireti
* Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu
* Battle of Skyhill
* Battle of Stainmore
* Battle of Stamford (894)
* Battle of Stamford (918)
* Battle of Stamford Bridge
* Battle of Stiklestad
* Battle of Strangford Lough
* Battle of Svolder
* Battle of Sulcoit
* Battle of Tara (Ireland)
* Battle of Tarbat Ness
* Battle of Tempsford
* Battle of Tettenhall
* Battle of Thetford
* Battle of Thimeon
* Battle of Trans-la-Forêt
* Battle of York
* Burning of Luimneach
* Viking raid on Galicia and Asturias
* Raids in the Rhineland
* Raid on Seville
* Sack of Santiago de Compostela
* Siege of Asselt
* Siege of Chartres (911)
* Siege of Constantinople (860)
* Sack of Paris
* Siege of Paris
* Cnut the Great's invasion of England

Arms, armour
and fortifications|

* Berserker
* Danevirke
* Great Heathen Army
* Hersir
* Hird
* Holmgang
* Viking Age arms and armour
* Halberd
* Atgeir
* Skeggöx
* Dane axe
* Gjermundbu helmet
* Yarm helmet
* Sword
* Ulfberht
* Ingelrii
* Ring Fortress
* Raid Warfare and Tactics
* Shield-maiden
* Svinfylking Formation
* Varangian Guard

Historical figures|

* Airdeconut
* Amlaíb Cenncairech
* Amlaíb Cuarán
* Amlaíb Conung
* Aud the Deep-Minded (Ketilsdóttir)
* Auisle
* Bagsecg
* Berle-Kari
* Birka female Viking warrior
* Bjørn (floruit 856–58)
* Bjorn Asbrandsson
* Bjarni Herjólfsson
* Björn Ironside
* Bjorn the Easterner
* Cnut
* Egill Skallagrímsson
* Eohric of East Anglia
* Eric Bloodaxe
* Erik the Red
* Eric I of Denmark
* Eiríkr Hákonarson
* Freydís Eiríksdóttir
* Freygeirr
* Garðar Svavarsson
* Godfrid Haraldsson
* Godfrid, Duke of Frisia
* Grímur Kamban
* Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir
* Gunnar Hámundarson
* Guthred
* Guthrum
* Hakon Rognvaldsson
* Haakon the Good
* Haakon Sigurdsson
* Halfdan Long-Leg
* Halfdan Ragnarsson
* Hagrold
* Harald Bluetooth
* Harald Fairhair
* Harald Hardrada
* Harald Wartooth
* Hastein
* Hemming Halfdansson
* Hervor
* Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson
* Hvitserk
* Ingvar the Far-Travelled
* Ingólfr Arnarson
* Ivar the Boneless
* Jomsvikings
* Ketilsdóttir
* Ketill Flatnose
* Ketil Trout (Iceland)
* Lagertha
* Leif Erikson
* Magnus Barefoot
* Naddodd
* Náttfari
* Olaf Tryggvason
* Olav Haraldsson
* Olaf the White
* Olof Skötkonung
* Orm Storolfsson
* Ohthere of Hålogaland
* Ottir
* Palnatoke
* Ragnar Lodbrok
* Ragnar Ragnarsson
* Ragnhild Eriksdotter
* Ragnall ua Imair
* Raud the Strong
* Reginheri
* Rognvald Eysteinsson
* Rollo
* Rorik
* Rusla
* Snæfrithr Svásadottir
* Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson
* Sigurd Ring
* Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
* Sigurd the Stout
* Sitric Caech
* Skalla-Grímr
* Snorri Sturluson
* Steinunn Refsdóttir
* Styrbjörn the Strong
* Sweyn Asleifsson
* Sweyn Forkbeard
* Þorbjörg Lítilvölva
* Thorfinn the Mighty
* Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson
* Thorkell the Tall
* Thorir Hund
* Thorolf Kveldulfsson
* Thorstein the Red
* Tryggvi the Pretender
* Turgesius
* Valtoke Gormsson
* Vagn Åkesson
* Veborg
* Ubba
* Uí Ímair
* Unn the Deep-Minded

Runestones|

* Ballstorp Runestone
* Baltic area runestones
* Danish Runic Inscription 66
* Danish Runic Inscription 154
* Danish Runic Inscription 380
* Egtved Runestone
* England runestones
* Greece runestones
* Gunnar's bridge runestones
* Hagby Runestones
* Hakon Jarl runestones
* Hällestad Runestones
* Ingvar runestones
* Italy runestones
* Karlevi Runestone
* Lingsberg Runestones
* Norra Härene Runestone
* Orkesta Runestones
* Runestones at Aspa
* Runestones of Högby
* Sædinge Runestone
* Sigtrygg Runestones
* Simris Runestones
* Sjörup Runestone
* Småland Runic Inscription 48
* Södermanland Runic Inscription 174
* Södermanland Runic Inscription 333
* Sparlösa Runestone
* Stangeland stone
* Stone of Eric
* Runestone U 582
* Uppland Runic Inscription 158
* Varangian runestones
* Västergötland Runic Inscription 40
* Västra Nöbbelöv Runestone
* Viking runestones

Related|

* Viking revival
* Viking Ship Museum (Oslo)
* Viking Ship Museum (Roskilde)

* v
* t
* e

Germanic mythology

Subjects|

* Deities
* Anglo-Saxon
* Sacred trees and groves

Heroic legend|

* Lists of figures
* A
* B–C
* D–E
* F–G
* H–He
* Hi–Hy
* I–O
* P–S
* T–Y
* Creatures
* Objects

| Heroic Age|

* Legendary kings
* Denmark
* Sweden

|

Variations|

* Continental
* Alpine
* Dutch
* Frankish
* English
* Norse

In popular culture|

* List of films
* Norse

Related topics|

* Germanic paganism
* Proto-Germanic folklore
* Alliterative verse
* Matter of England

* v
* t
* e

Germanic peoples

Ethnolinguistic group of Northern European origin primarily identified as speakers of Germanic languages

History|

* Nordic Bronze Age
* Germania
* Pre-Roman Iron Age
* Roman Iron Age
* Romano-Germanic culture
* Germanic Iron Age
* Viking Age

Early culture|

* Architecture
* Art
* Calendar
* Clothing
* Family
* Festivals
* Folklore
* Proto-Germanic folklore
* Anglo-Saxon mythology
* Continental Germanic mythology
* Norse mythology)
* Funerary practices
* Anglo-Saxon
* Norse
* Law
* Anglo-Saxon
* Norse
* Literature
* Anglo-Saxon
* Norse
* Names
* Gothic
* Numbers
* Paganism
* Anglo-Saxon
* Gothic
* Norse
* Rings
* Scripts
* Gothic alphabet
* Runes
* Sippe
* Symbology
* Warfare
* Anglo-Saxon
* Gothic and Vandal
* Viking

Languages|

* Germanic parent language
* Proto-Germanic language
* East Germanic languages
* North Germanic languages
* West Germanic languages

Groups|

* Alemanni
* Brisgavi
* Bucinobantes
* Lentienses
* Raetovari
* Adrabaecampi
* Angles
* Anglo-Saxons
* Ambrones
* Ampsivarii
* Angrivarii
* Armalausi
* Auiones
* Avarpi
* Baemi
* Baiuvarii
* Banochaemae
* Bastarnae
* Batavi
* Belgae
* Germani cisrhenani
* Atuatuci
* Caeroesi
* Condrusi
* Eburones
* Paemani
* Segni
* Morini
* Nervii
* Bateinoi
* Betasii
* Brondings
* Bructeri
* Burgundians
* Buri
* Cananefates
* Caritni
* Casuari
* Chaedini
* Chaemae
* Chamavi
* Chali
* Charudes
* Chasuarii
* Chattuarii
* Chatti
* Chauci
* Cherusci
* Cimbri
* Cobandi
* Corconti
* Cugerni
* Danes
* Dauciones
* Dulgubnii
* Favonae
* Firaesi
* Fosi
* Franks
* Ripuarian Franks
* Salian Franks
* Frisiavones
* Frisii
* Gambrivii
* Geats
* Gepids
* Goths
* Crimean Goths
* Greuthungi
* Gutones
* Ostrogoths
* Thervingi
* Thracian Goths
* Visigoths
* Gutes
* Harii
* Hermunduri
* Heruli
* Hilleviones
* Ingaevones
* Irminones
* Istvaeones
* Jutes
* Juthungi
* Lacringi
* Lemovii
* Lombards
* Heaðobards
* Lugii
* Diduni
* Helisii
* Helveconae
* Manimi
* Nahanarvali
* Marcomanni
* Marsacii
* Marsi
* Mattiaci
* Nemetes
* Njars
* Nuithones
* Osi
* Quadi
* Reudigni
* Rugii
* Rugini
* Saxons
* Semnones
* Sicambri
* Sciri
* Sitones
* Suarines
* Suebi
* Sunici
* Swedes
* Taifals
* Tencteri
* Teutons
* Thelir
* Thuringii
* Toxandri
* Treveri
* Triboci
* Tubantes
* Tulingi
* Tungri
* Ubii
* Usipetes
* Vagoth
* Vandals
* Hasdingi
* Silingi
* Vangiones
* Varisci
* Victohali
* Vidivarii
* Vinoviloth
* Warini

Christianization|

* Gothic Christianity
* Christianization of the Franks
* Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England
* Christianization of Scandinavia
* Christianization of Iceland

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Religious family trees

Abrahamic|

| Biblical|

| Book of Genesis|

* Adam to Noah family tree
* Abraham's family tree (from Noah to the sons of Jacob, including Levi)
* Levi to Moses family tree
* Shem
* image
* Ham
* Japheth
* Esau
* Ishmael

|

Book of Ruth|

* Naomi to David

Books of Kings|

* Kings of Israel and Judah

New Testament|

* Genealogy of Jesus

Islamic|

| Before Muhammad|

* Lineage of Six Islamic Prophets (from Adam to Isa and Muhammad)
* Maryam (image)

|

Muhammad|

* Family tree of Muhammad

Rashidun|

* Abu Bakr
* Umar
* Uthman
* Ali
* Fourteen Infallibles

Later Kings|

* Umayyads
* Abbasids
* Ottomans

Polytheistic|

* Babylonian gods
* Greek gods
* Japanese kami
* Mahabharata
* Māori gods
* Nordic gods
* Sumerian gods

Authority control databases

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* 2
* Latvia
* Poland
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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