# Norse Mythology

Aegir
In Norse mythology, Aegir was the god of the sea, seashore and ocean and a son of Mistarblindi. He was a personification of the ocean, both good and bad. He caused storms with his anger and the skalds said a ship went into "Aegir's wide jaws" when it wrecked. Aegir was crowned with seaweed and always surrounded by nixies and mermaids while in his hall. Aegir's wife was Ran and they lived under the sea by the island Hlesey. Ran and Aegir had nine daughters who were the waves. Aegir brewed ale for the gods after Thor brought him a big enough kettle. Every winter the gods would drink beer at Aegir's home. He was, therefore, famed for his hospitality. Gold was put onto the floor of the hall to provide light, instead of having a fire. Gold is therefore called Aegir's fire. The cups in Aegir's hall were always full, magically refilling themselves. Aegir had two servants in his hall, Fimafeng and Eldir. Sailors feared Aegir, and thought he would sometimes surface to destroy ships. Early Saxons made human sacrifices to a god of the sea, possibly connected with Aegir.

Aesir
The Aesir were the principal gods in Norse mythology. They lived in Asgard.

Alb
In Teutonic and Scandinavian mythology and folklore, an Alb (Alp or Alf) was a kind of being believed to have existed contemporaneously with man differing from man in some respects. The elf king Alfrigg or Elberich was an Alb.

Alf
see "Alb"

Alp
see "Alb"

Alta
Alta was the giant mother of Heimdall.

Angrbotha
In Norse mythology, Angrbotha is the prophetic death goddess. The iron wood hag and Ogress of Giantland. A worker of calamity.

Asgard
In Norse mythology Asgard was the home of the gods.

Asynjr
In Norse mythology, Asynjr is the generic term for female giants.

Audhumla
In Norse mythology, Audhumla was the cow whose milk nourished the giant Ymir, and his race.

Balder
In Norse mythology, Balder was the son of Odin and Freya and husband of Nanna, and the best, wisest, and most loved of all the gods. He was killed, at Loki's instigation, by a twig of mistletoe shot by the blind god Hodur.

Berserker
In Norse mythology, a berserker was a warrior whose frenzy in battle transformed him into a wolf or bear howling and foaming at the mouth, and rendered him immune to sword and flame.

Bertha
In Norse mythology, Bertha is the goddess of spinning.

Bor
In Norse mythology, Bor was a son of Buri and married to Bestla, and father of Odin, Vili, and Ve.

Bragi
In Norse mythology, Bragi is the god of poetry and eloquence. He was married to the goddess Iduna who dwelt in the underworld.

Brono
In Norse mythology, Brono was the son of Baldr. He was the god of daylight.

Buri
In Norse mythology, Buri was the first god formed by Audumla licking ice. He was the father of Bor.

Bylgja
In Norse mythology, Bylgja is a daughter of Aegir and Ran.

Edda
In Norse mythology, Edda was the goddess of myth and oral history and the inspiration of poets. From her came those who work the land.

Eir
In Norse mythology, Eir was a goddess of healing, and considered the best doctor. She taught her art to women who were the only physicians in ancient Scandinavia.

Farbanti
In Norse mythology Farbanti was a giant who ferried the dead over the waters to the underworld. He was the father of Loki.

Fenris
In Norse mythology, Fenris was the monstrous wolf of the god Loki. Fenris swallowed the god Odin but was stabbed to death by Odin's son, Vidar.

Forseti
In Norse mythology, Forseti is a god of justice. He is the son of Balder and Nanna and lives at Glitnir.

Freya
In Norse mythology, Freya (Freyja) is the goddess of love, fertility, war, and wealth. Originally one of the Vanir. She was the daughter of Njord, and the sister of Frey. She lived in Folkvang and each day chose half of the slain warriors to split with Odin.

Freyja
see "Freya"

Freyr
In Norse mythology, Freyr was Odin in another form as the god of rain, sunshine and fruits. He married Gredr.

Frigg
In Norse mythology, Frigg is the goddess of marriage. She is the wife of Odin, and lives at Fensalir. She weaved the clouds.

Fulla
In Norse mythology, Fulla was attendant to Frigg taking care of the goddess's shoes. She also, sometimes, functions as Frigg's messenger.

Garm
In Norse mythology, Garm is a hound which stands in front of Hel's home and snarls with jaws dripping blood at the pilgrims from the upper world.

Gefjon
In Norse mythology, Gefjon is a prophetic virgin goddess and a member of the Aesir and Vanir. All women who die virgins go to her hall. She was also a fertility goddess. In one myth, Gylfi, king of Sweden, tells Gefjon, who was disguised as a beggar, that she could have as much of Sweden as she could plough with four oxen in one day. She traveled to Jotunheim and found her four oxen sons whom she had by a giant. She returned to Sweden in Midgard with her sons and ploughed all of the land now known as Zealand so it became part of Denmark, thereby tricking Gylfi.

Gerd
In Norse mythology, Gerd is a giant goddess of light. She is the most beautiful of all creatures.

Ginnunggap
In Norse mythology, Ginnunggap was the Yawning Void.

Gioll
In Norse mythology, Gioll was a river which surrounded the underworld, Hel.

Gladsheim
In Norse mythology, Gladsheim was the mansion in Asgard where the gods lived.

Gleipnir
In Norse mythology, Gleipnir is the chain which bounds Fenris. It is made from the footfalls of cats, the beards of women, the roots of mountains and the breath of fish.

Gna
In Norse mythology, Gna was a handmaiden of Frigg who sent her on errands.

Gold-comb
In Norse mythology, Gold-comb is the cock who shall crow when ragnarok comes.

Gotterdammerung
In Norse mythology, Gotterdammerung is the end of the world.

Gulltopr
In Norse mythology, Gulltopr was the horse of Heimdall.

Gullveig
In Norse mythology, Gullveig was the thrice-born and thrice-burnt virgin. The Aesir's attempt to kill her brought about the first war in the world (the Vanir against the Aesir) which the Vanir won.

Gungnir
In Norse mythology, Gungnir is Odin's spear, obtained from the Dwarves by Loki for Odin.

Gunlad
In Norse mythology, Gunlad was the giant mother of poetry.

Heimdall
In Norse mythology, Heimdall was the watchman of the bridge, Bifrost, which led to the underworld.
He watches for the coming of the frost giants at the Ragnarok, at which time he will sound his horn Gjallar.

Hel
Hel (Hela) was the Norse goddess of the underworld. She was a daughter of Loki and the giant Angurboda, and the sister of Fenrir and Jormungand.

Hela
see "Hel"

Hermod
In Norse mythology, Hermod is a messenger of the gods. He rode to Hel's realm after the death of Balder to try and convince her to let Balder come back from the dead.

Hlin
In Norse mythology, Hlin is a form of the goddess Frigg charged with protecting those men who Frigg wants kept safe.

Hod
see "Hodur"

Hodur
In Norse mythology, Hodur (Hod) was a son of Odin. The blind god of winter, who is tricked by Loki into killing Balder. Vali avenged Balder's death by killing Hodur.

Hoenir
In Norse mythology, after the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, Hoenir was sent as a hostage to the Vanir and gave sense to the first humans.

Hresvelgr
In Norse mythology, Hresvelgr is a giant who lives in the extreme north and the motion of whose wings causes wind and tempest.

Huldra
In Norse mythology, Huldra was a form of the goddess Frigg, who was attended by wood nymphs.

Hunin
In Norse mythology, Hunin was a raven of thought which sat upon Odin's shoulder and brought him news everyday of what was occuring in the world.

Iduna
In Norse mythology, Iduna was the wife of Bragi. She kept golden apples in a box which the gods ate to keep themselves young.

Jord
In Norse mythology, Jord is an earth goddess and the mother of Thor and Frigg.

Jormungandr
In Norse mythology, Jormungandr is the great dragon which lives in the Ocean-stream which runs around Midgard.

Jotunheim
In Norse mythology, Jotunheim is the abode of the giants. It is on the edge of the ocean far to the north east.

Kolga
In Norse mythology, Kolga is a daughter of Aegir and Ran.

Lodur
In Norse mythology, Lodur gave appearance and speech to the first humans.

Lofn
In Norse mythology, Lofn was a goddess concerned with sparking passionate love. She had permission from Odin and Frigg to do so even for those who were forbidden to marry.

Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki was one of the Aesir (the principal gods), but the cause of dissension among the gods, and the slayer of Balder. He became a member of the Aesir when Odin made Loki his blood brother. His children are the Midgard serpent Jormungander, which girdles the Earth; the wolf Fenris; and Hela, goddess of death.

Magni
In Norse mythology, Magni is a son of Thor, he will survive the Ragnarok.

Mimir
In Norse mythology, Mimir was a god of wisdom and knowledge. He dwelt by the ash-tree Yggdrasil.

Modi
In Norse mythology, Modi is a son of Thor, he will survive the Ragnarok.

Munin
In Norse mythology, Munin was a raven of memory which sat on Odin's shoulder and along with Hunin brought Odin news each day of what was occuring in the world.

Nanna
In Norse mythology, Nanna is a moon goddess. She is the wife of Balder and mother of Forseti. She died of heartache after Balder's death and was burned with him on his funeral boat.

Nastrand
In Norse mythology, Nastrand was the worst region of hell. It's roofs and doors were wattled with hissing snakes, ejecting poison and it was through this that murderers and perjurers were forced to wade as punishment.

Nidhogg
In Norse mythology, Nidhogg is a dragon which devours the corpses of evil doers. He lives in Hwergelmir, in the realm of Hel.

Niflheim
In Norse mythology, Niflheim was a world of ice and darkness centered on an icy spring which existed before creation. As its waters met the fire of the other primeval world Muspell they formed the giant Ymir and started creation.

Njord
In Norse mythology, Njord is a sea god of fruitfulness who lives in Noa-tun.

Norn
In Norse mythology, the Norn were three goddesses of fate - the goddess of the past (Urd), the goddess of the present (Verdandi), and the goddess of the future (Skuld).

Norns
In Norse mythology, the Norns were three sisters responsible for the destiny of individuals and gods.

Odin
Odin was chief god of Norse mythology. A sky god, he lived in Asgard, at the top of the world-tree, and from the Valkyries receives the souls of half of the heroic slain warriors, feasting with them in his great hall, Valhalla; the rest are feasted by Freya his wife.

Ogres
In Norse mythology, Ogres are creatures who make the storms and who with their iron clubs strike the earth and send it flying into the air.

Outgard
In Norse mythology, Outgard is the home of giants and monsters.

Ragnarok
In Norse mythology, ragnarok is the ultimate battle between good and evil from which a new order will come.

Ran
In Norse mythology Ran is the giant wife of Aegir. It is she who uses a net to draw the sailors of sinking ships to their doom.

Runes
The runes are the letters of the alphabet peculiar to the ancient Teutonic peoples of north west Europe. There are 3 runic alphabets; the Norse, with 16 characters, the Anglo-Saxon with 40 and the German. Saxon tradition ascribes the invention of the runes to Woden. Their use reduced under christianity because of their connection with magic. They were used for casting spells as well as divining the future.

Runic wand
A runic wand was a smooth willow wand inscribed with runic characters (runes).

Saga
In Norse mythology, Saga was the daughter of Odin. She was the goddess of poetry.

Seidr
Seidr was a form of Norse magic ascribed to Odin and Gullveig. It was mainly used for harmful purposes.

Sif
In Norse mythology, Sif was a goddess of crops and fertility, married married to Thor.

Sjofn
In Norse mythology, Sjofn (Vjofn) was a goddess concerned with causing men and women to think of love. It was her duty to stop fights between married couples.

Skadi
In Norse mythology, Skadi was a mountain giantess. A goddess on skis. The snow-shoe goddess of winter and hunting.

Skuld
In Norse mythology, Skuld was the Norn of the future.

Sleipnir
In Norse mythology, Sleipnir was the swift horse ridden by Odin.

Snotra
In Norse mythology, Snotra was a wise and gentle goddess who knew the value of self-discipline.

Surtr
In Norse mythology, Surtr was a giant who lived in the extreme south, and whose flaming sword guarded the bounds of Muspelheim.

Syn
In Norse mythology, Syn was a goddess invoked by defendents at a trial. She was an attendant of Frigg, guarding the door of Frigg's palace.

Thiassi
In Norse mythology, Thiassi was a giant who slay Thor and cast his eyes up into heaven where they shone thereafter as stars.

Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor was the son of Odin, husband of Sif, and a member of the Aesir, he was the god of thunder and the main enemy of the giants, smashing their heads with his mighty hammer Mjollnir which to wield he needed iron gloves and a belt of strength. Mjollnir would return to Thor's hand after being thrown and was symbolic of lightning. Thor rode around middle-earth in his wagon which was drawn by two goats. He lived at Thruthheim in his hall, Bilskinir. He was foremost of the gods to the common man, who would call on him to ensure fertility, and widely worshiped. Hammer shaped amulets, a symbol of Thor because it was his weapon, were worn about the neck well into the christianization of Scandinavia.

Thrud
In Norse mythology, Thrud was a daughter of Thor. The dwarf Alvis wanted to marry her but Thor tricked him into being above ground when the sun came up thus turning him into stone.

Troll
In Icelandic mythology, Trolls were a race of giants. They appear in various Northern mythologies. In Norse mythology Trolls are represented as a type of goblin.

Tyr
In Norse mythology, Tyr was the god of war and athletic sports. Tyr had one hand bitten off by the wolf Fenris, after he put it in the wolve's mouth as a pledge of security when the wolf allowed himself to be bound in a net until the judgement day.

Ulle
In Norse mythology, Ulle (Ull) is the god of the chase, archery and hunting. His weapon was a longbow made out of Yew and he lived in Ydal. He was called upon for help in duels. He was the son of Thor and Sif

Urd
In Norse mythology, Urd was the Norn of the past.

Valhalla
In Norse mythology valhalla is the paradise where the souls of dead warriors go to.

Vali
In Norse mythology, Vali was the youngest of Odin's sons. His mother was the giantess Rind and he was born for the express purpose of avenging Balder's death - since the gods could not kill one of their own. When he was only one night old, he killed Hodur. He will be one of the seven Aesir to survive the ragnarok.

Var
In Norse mythology, Var is a goddess who punishes those who do not keep their marriage vows.

Ve
In Norse mythology, Ve was a son of Bor and Bestla. Ve Killed the giant Ymir and created the world out of its carcass along with his brothers. He gave the first humans feeling, appearance, and speech.

Verdandi
In Norse mythology, Verdandi was the Norn of the present.

Vidar
In Norse mythology, Vidar was a son of Odin and Grid, and had a twin brother named Vali. He dwelled in Vidi and was one of the strongest of the gods and was considered a god of vengance. It was said that in the ragnarok he would avenge his father by killing Fenris. He is one of the Aesir who will survive the final battle.

Vili
In Norse mythology, Vili was a son of Bor and Bestla and a brother of Odin and Ve. Together with Odin and Ve, he killed the giant Ymir, created the cosmos out of Ymir's carcass and made the first man and woman. He gave the humans thought and motion.

Vingulf
In Norse mythology, Vingulf was the mansion in Asgard where the godesses lived.

Vithar
In Norse mythology, Vithar was the god second in strength to Thor, and who would kill the wolf Fenris by wrentching the wolve's jaws asunder.

Vjofn
see "Sjofn"

Vor
In Norse mythology Vor was a goddess of marriage and contracts from whom nothing could be hidden because shewas so wise.

Woden
Woden was the Anglo-Saxon form of the name of the god called Odin by the Norse.

Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is the oldest of all trees. It stands in the centre of the world and divides the planes.

Ymir
In Norse mythology Ymir is a giant. In the beginning there was just Ymir and Ginnunggap. Ymir was slain by Odin, Vili and Ve and out of his blood they made the sea, out of his flesh the earth and out of his bones the rocks and out of his skull the cavity of heaven.

Copyright 1997,1998 Servile Software Enquiries to Matthew Probert

START PAGE

This site is run as a free public information service