Ragnarok (”Doom of the Gods”), also called Gotterdammerung, means the end of the cosmos in Norse mythology. It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all morality will disappear. This is [...]
The chief divinity of the Norse pantheon, the foremost of the Aesir. Odin is a son of Bor and Bestla. He is called Alfadir, Allfather, for he is indeed father of the gods. With Frigg he is the father of Balder, Hod, and Hermod. He fathered Thor on the goddess Jord; and the giantess Grid [...]
In Norse myth, Nott is the personification of night, and the daughter of Narvi. Nott was married three times and with each husband she had one child. Her first husband was Naglfari, and their son was Aud. Her second husband was Annar, father of Earth. Her third husband was Delling, the personification of twilight, father [...]
In Norse mythology, the Norns are the demi-goddesses of destiny. They control the destinies of both gods and men, as well as the unchanging laws of the cosmos. They are represented as three sisters: Urd (”fate”), Verdandi (”necessity”) and Skuld (”being”). They live at the base of the World Tree Yggdrasil in the realm of [...]
The Norse god of winds, sea and fire. He brings good fortune at sea and in the hunt. He is married to the giantess Skadi. His children are Freya and Freyr, whom he fathered on his own sister.
Originally, Njord was one of the Vanir but when they made peace with the Aesir, he and his [...]
The nine worlds of Norse mythology.
The first level: Asgard, world of the Aesir; Vanaheim, land of the Vanir; and Alfheim, land of the light elves.
The second level: Midgard, Land of humans (middle world/garden); Nidavellir, Land of the dwarfs; Jotunheim, Land of the giants (Jotuns); and Svartalfheim, Land of the dark elves.
The third level: Hel, Realm [...]
Niflheim (”house of mists”) is the far northern region of icy fogs and mists, darkness and cold. It is situated on the lowest level of the universe. The realm of death, Helheim is part of the vast, cold region. Niflheim lies underneath the third root of Yggdrasil, close to the spring Hvergelmir (”roaring cauldron”). Also [...]
In Norse myth, Nidhogg (”tearer of corpses”) is a monstrous serpent that gnaws almost perpetually at the deepest root of the World Tree Yggdrasil, threatening to destroy it. The serpent is always bickering with the eagle that houses in the top of the tree. Nidhogg lies on Nastrond in Niflheim and eats corpses to sustain [...]
In Norse mythology, Muspell or Muspellheim (”home of desolation”) is a flaming, torrid region, the land of fire far to the south. It is opposed to Niflheim and whose animating beams made the ice in Niflheim melt and created the first living beings. The celestial bodies were made from its sparks which flew out into [...]
In Norse myth, the hammer that belongs to the mighty god Thor. Mjollnir (”that smashes”) was made for him by the dwarfs Brok and Eitri, who made many magical objects for the gods. Every time Thor threw the hammer lightning flashed, after which it returned to his right hand, on which he wore an iron [...]
