Scandinavian goddess of love and war. Scandinavian mythology. Aesir, Vanir and other mythical characters

Scandinavian mythology is a beautiful and cruel world at the same time. The world is assembled from many interesting and instructive myths. The world is full of adventures and exploits that make you think a lot.

Briefly about the Scandinavian gods

The three main gods of Norse mythology are Odin [War], Thor [Protection], and Freyr [Fertility].
The gods of Norse mythology are divided into two families:
1. Ases - the family of the supreme god Odin [Gods of War]
2. The Vanir are the family of the sea god Njord [Gods of Fertility]
In the myths and legends of the Scandinavians, there are many minor gods who play minor roles and almost do not participate in the main events.
It's hard to count how many gods there are. Because many of them, in some sources, refer to gods, and in others to people, creatures or giants.
In total, there are about 120 characters in Scandinavian mythology.

Hello dear reader. Thank you very much for your time in my diary. My name is Gavrilov Kirill . I am fond of the history, mythology and culture of medieval Scandinavia, and this is my "Northern Diary" -. In this post, I will introduce you to the gods and goddesses of Scandinavian mythology.

The Scandinavian gods appear before us, not only as wise and all-powerful arbiters of human destinies, but also as ordinary people. Often they make completely human mistakes, resort to deceit, act meanly and unfairly, love cruelty and laugh at other people's troubles.

In this entry, I have carefully compiled convenient lists of all the gods and goddesses with small descriptions, for your convenience. I have separate entries about some characters - click on the name in the list.

Thor fights the Giant King Hrungnir

Major gods

aces

Ases are the family of the supreme god Odin and the gods who initially accepted him as their master. They live in a world called Asgard, in which their halls are located.

- the supreme Scandinavian god, lord of Asgard and ruler. God of war, sage, wanderer, warrior and sorcerer. Founder of Scandinavian mythology. The main satellites and symbols of the god Odin:
Frigga is the wife of Odin, the goddess of childbirth, the keeper of the hearth and the patroness of people.
- god of fire, cunning and deceit. The main culprit of all the events of Scandinavian mythology. Brother of Odin, son of the giant Farbauti and the goddess Laufey [Loki does not belong to the Ases, but lives in Asgard. The gods allowed Loki to live with them for his cunning].
- the son of Odin, the god of thunder, the protector of gods and people. A red-bearded strongman, the owner of the magic hammer Mjolnir. Storm of giants and slayer of monsters. The main symbols of Thor:
1. Hammer Mjolnir
2. Chariot with two goats
3. Iron Gauntlets
4. Megingjord's Belt of Power
Yord - mother of Thor, goddess of the earth
Sif - Thor's wife, golden-haired goddess of fertility
Modi - son of Thor, god of military fury
Magni - the son of Thor, the god of strength and power
Ull - stepson of [Adoptive son] Thor, god of the bow and arrow, patron of skiers
- the son of Odin, the guardian of the rainbow bridge "Bivrest", foreseeing the future. On the day when Ragnarok [End of the World] comes, the Gjallarhorn will blow his horn, calling the gods to the last battle. Heimdall symbols:
1. Loud Horn Gjallarhorn
2. golden sword
3. horse with golden mane
Tyr is the son of Odin, the one-armed god of courage and military duels. Lost his right hand in the mouth of a wolf
Hod - the son of Odin, the blind god of winter
Hermod - son of Odin, brave messenger
Vali - son of Odin, god of revenge and plants
Vidar - son of Odin, god of vengeance and silence
Balder is the son of Odin, the most beautiful and well-built god, the patron of spring. The death of Baldr will be the beginning of Ragnarok.
Nanna - Baldur's wife
Forseti - son of Baldr, god of courts and assemblies
Bragi is the god of eloquence, the keeper of the magic honey of poetry.
Idunn is the wife of Braga, the goddess of youth, the keeper of the casket with the golden apples of youth, which give the gods eternal life

In addition to the wives of the Ases, eleven more goddesses live in Asgard:

Air - patroness of healing
Gefion - patroness of young maidens
Fulla - Frigga's maid and companion
Gna - the messenger of Frigga on the horse Hovvarpnir
Sievi - patroness of love between men and women
Catch - connects lovers
Var - patroness of oaths
Ver - Goddess of intelligence and curiosity
Xiong - guardian of closed doors
Hlin - protects people from danger
Snotra - goddess of restraint and wisdom

Vans

The Vanir are the family of the sea god Njord, who initially did not want to accept Odin as their master. They live in Vanaheim, but after the war of the gods they move to Asgard.

Njord is the god of fertility, the lord of the seas, the father of Freyr and Freya.
Freyr is the god of harvest, fertility, the patron of summer. Freya's twin brother.
Freya is the goddess of beauty and love, it was she who taught the Aesir witchcraft. Twin sister of Frey.

Other gods and minor deities

Valkyries are Odin's warrior maidens. Raise fallen warriors to, can bestow victory or defeat in battle
The Norns are the three goddesses weaving the threads of fate for every living being in the nine worlds. I talked about them in the entry about the World Tree
Andhrimnir is the chief cook in Valhalla, preparing a mountain of meat daily for the Einherja warriors. Every morning, slaughtering the giant boar Sehrimnir, who sacrifices himself to feed Odin's army. And the next morning is reborn again
Buri is the grandfather of Odin, the ancestor of all gods
Bor is the father of Odin and his two brothers Vili and Ve
Bestla - mother of Odin, wife of Bor
Vili - Odin's first brother, son of Bor and Bestla
Ve is the second brother of Odin, the son of Bor and Bestla
Aegir - sea giant, patron of the calm sea
Ran - Aegir's wife, patroness of the raging sea
Sigyn - Loki's wife who gave birth to his sons Vali and Narvi
Angrboda - Loki's wife who gave birth to a wolf, a snake and a goddess

That's all for me. If you want to get acquainted with all the myths and legends of Scandinavian mythology, I have a whole collection for you -

yut common ancestors. Many centuries ago they were called Vikings or Varangians. They were known as talented sailors and skilled shipbuilders. The Vikings discovered the largest island of Greenland, the first to sail to the coast of North America. But they became famous most of all as the most warlike people of Europe. The Vikings conquered almost all of Europe. There are many legends and tales about the Vikings, which are reflected in Scandinavian myths.

Asgard is the world of the gods.

How did our world come about?

According to Scandinavian myths, a huge tree Yggdrasil grows in the center of our world. It has three levels: in its roots, underground is the world of the dead, near the trunk is the kingdom of the people of Midgard, and the gods live on top of it.

Yggdrasil tree.

Giants and gods.

Giant Ymir.

According to the legends, the first living creatures on earth were the giant Ymir and the cow Audumna, who emerged from the ancient ice. One day the cow Audumna wanted to lick a piece of eternal ice. From her warm breath, the ice melted and the mighty Bor emerged from it. When Bor got tired of living on his own, he married one of the daughters of the giant Ymir. They had children endowed with divine power. So in the world of Scandinavian mythology, the first gods appeared - Odin, Vili and Ve.

Where did the first people come from?

According to Scandinavian myths, once, when the children of Bor, the first gods of the Scandinavians, were playing on the ocean, they saw two trees. And they decided to demonstrate their strength to each other. Odin breathed life and soul into the trees, Vili endowed them with the ability to move and think, and Ve made people out of trees, giving them beauty, hearing, sight, and the gift of communication. They received the names Ash and Willow. They became the ancestors of all people.

Division of the world.

At the beginning of time, the whole earth was covered with a boundless ocean and there was not a single piece of land. But one day the gods got tired of observing the deserted sea surface from day to day, and they raised land from the depths of the ocean, which later became the kingdom of people Midgard. On it the gods settled the first people. The Scandinavian gods surrounded the borders of this kingdom with a wall from the centuries of the first of the giants of the mighty Ymir, they protected the kingdom of people from witchcraft and hostile creatures. There were other kingdoms in the neighborhood of Mitgard. Jotunheim In this kingdom lived giants who hated both people and gods. There were also two divine kingdoms Asgard and Vanaheim, in the first of them lived the light gods Asa, and in the second dark Vans.

First wars.

But the gods could not live in peace with the giants, and soon a war broke out between them. It lasted for many hundreds of years until the Scandinavian gods still defeated the giants, but it was a Pyrrhic victory, so they made a truce and exchanged hostages. When all the battles of the very first war subsided, the defeated giant Ymir remained on earth. He was very exhausted and exhausted by this war, and the gods of the Scandinavians decided to cast a spell on the giant Ymir, and his body turned into mountains, and his hair into forests.

One.

The supreme god of the Vikings and the ruler of the Scandinavian gods was Odin. He is often depicted as a mighty grey-bearded warrior with one eye, he gave the other eye in order to drink water from the source of wisdom. He was armed with the merciless magical spear Gungnir, wore a horned helmet on his head, and wore a belt with a magic buckle on top of his armor. This buckle was a silver amulet on which powerful runes were inscribed, this buckle during the battle increased its strength tenfold.

According to the legends, Odin did not eat anything, but only drank the divine nectar called the honey of poetry. Thanks to this, he earned the fame of a speaker who knows how to express his thoughts in verse. He gave the Vikings runes to get them, he sacrificed himself to himself, nailing himself with his own spear to the world tree Yggdrasil, so he hung for nine days, and on the tenth day the cherished knowledge was revealed to him. Scandinavian runes symbolized knowledge and were the most powerful amulets. The Vikings used magical runes in their magic to write magical spells.

Odin is always accompanied by two wolves or two ravens, his face is hidden by a hood, in this form he wanders the world on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir. Being a master of changing his appearance, he appeared unrecognized among people, helping them resolve difficult disputes, and in battles he always supports the most worthy. Therefore, he is considered the god of wisdom and war.

But besides the desire for the knowledge of wisdom and the thirst for battles, he was distinguished from many gods by love. Being one of the most beautiful of the gods, he was a huge success with women. Odin often fell in love with different goddesses and daughters of Ymir, despite the fact that he was married to the most beautiful of the goddesses - the goddess of marriage bonds Frigga.

Helpers of Odin.

One was aware of all the events that took place in the world. But being even the most powerful of the gods, Odin could not be in different places at the same time. For this, he had two raven assistants, whose names were Munin (Remembering) and Hulig (Thinking). They flew around the world and noticed everything, and in the evening they appeared to Odin, sat on his shoulder and whispered to him about everything that was happening in the world. Also, Odin was always accompanied by two white wolves.

The army of Odin consisted of the greatest Viking warriors who died in battles in the heavenly chamber of Valhalla. After the battle, they are collected on the battlefield by the Valkyries sent by Odin.

Valhalla.

According to ancient Viking lore, Val Halla is a large hall with a roof made up of shields of gold supported by spears tipped with silver. Valhalla has 540 doors, from each of them during the last battle of Ragnarok, at the call of the god Heimdal, 800 warriors will come out. Vikings in Valhalla are called Encherii. Every morning they put on battle armor and fight to the death with each other, and in the evening, being resurrected by the Valkyries, they sit down to feast.

Thunder God Thor.

Thor is one of the most famous gods of Scandinavian mythology, his father was Odin, and his mother was the goddess of the earth. He was the god of thunder and harvest. The Scandinavians portrayed him as a mighty warrior of enormous size with a fiery red beard. Thor's main weapon was the magic hammer Mjollnir, which did not know a miss, with which he could kill the largest giant. According to legend, this weapon was forged for him by one of the most skillful blacksmiths, the dwarfs Brock and Sindri. Thor's hammer always hit the target, after which it returned to the owner. But not only the hammer Mjollnir possessed destructive power, there are many Scandinavian myths and legends in which, thanks to him, Thor healed and resurrected the wounded and fallen soldiers in battle. Despite all his menacingness, he treated ordinary people well, especially women and children. The Vikings considered Thor the main protector of all people living on earth. Buy Hammer of Thor.

Thor had magical equipment that helped him cope with such powerful weapons as the hammer Mjolnir. It included iron gauntlets, thanks to which he could hold Thor's red-hot hammer without fear of getting burned, and a belt that doubled his strength. Thanks to these magical artifacts, Thor was practically invincible. According to the legend of the last battle of Ragnarok, Thor was destined to fight Jörmungandr.

Thor traveled the world in a wagon drawn by two goats named Tangniostr and Tangrisnir. If Thor was hungry, he ate them, after which he resurrected them with the help of Mjollnir. The Scandinavians have a legend that Thor carries a lot of silver and copper teapots in his wagon, and when lightning strikes, the teapots rattle in the wagon and this causes the thunder that we hear during a thunderstorm.

Loki is the god of deceit.

That is what this god was called. Loki was the god of deceit and fire and had an evil and envious personality. He was portrayed as two-faced because, on the one hand, he was a close relative of Odin and helped him, and on the other, he only dreamed of how to take his place.

Loki could turn into any creature, and thanks to his winged boots, he could move to any place. More than anything in the world, Loki loved various meanness to quarrel people, gods or giants.

Loki's tricks.

Once when Loki and Odin were walking together near the waterfall, Loki saw an otter in the water and threw a stone at it and killed it. But it soon became clear that this was not an otter, but a dwarf Otr, who turned into an otter in order to catch a fish for himself.

The angry father of Otra demanded a ransom for the blood of his son, the magic staff of Odin and the winged shoes of Loki. It was possible to return these things only by giving them a lot of gold. For gold, Odin sent Loki to the country of black elves.

When Loki reached the country of the black elves, he noticed a pike in the river, the scales of which shone like gold. Loki, without wasting time thinking, threw the net into the river and caught a fish with scales of gold and already wanted to eat it, but it turned out that it was not a fish, but the dwarf blacksmith Andvari, who was resting in a cool river.

The cunning Loki quickly figured out how to benefit from this situation and offered Andvari to exchange his life for gold. The dwarf blacksmith agreed with Loki's proposal. He gave all his gold to Loki, hiding only a unique amulet in the form of a ring capable of doubling wealth. But you can’t fool the god of deceit, and he will deceive anyone he wants, so when Andvari left, Loki stole the amulet in the form of a ring.

When Andvari discovered it was missing, he placed a powerful spell on the ring that harmed anyone who used the ring-like amulet. But Loki got out this time too, he gave the amulet in the form of a ring along with gold for ransom, for which the dwarfs returned his winged shoes to him, and Odin his staff. And in the family of the dwarf Otra, the Andvari spell began to act.

Goddess of beauty and love Freya.

As we already know, Freya came to the light aces as a result of an exchange of hostages. Her father was the god of the seas, Njord, and her mother was the goddess of the earth, Skadi. But unlike the other hostages, she never regretted it.

Freya took care of women in childbirth - with her help, childbirth was always easy and safe, and children were born healthy. But the main occupation of the goddess of love was to help lovers. She was so carried away by this that the Scandinavian gods had to give her a separate corner in the realm of the dead. The souls of young boys and girls fell into this miniature realm of the dead. And so that Freya could arrange for them a romantic and love-filled existence after death, the Scandinavians buried unmarried young girls in wedding dresses so that they could marry in the afterlife.

There was no such god among the aces who would not like Freya, and to please her, they gave her amazing jewelry made of gold and silver. But most of all, the beautiful goddess Freya liked the god of thunder, Thor.

Gods of the sea and earth.

Sea god Njord.

The god of the seas among the Scandinavians was Njord. He commanded storms and storms, and all the inhabitants of the sea kingdom obeyed him. The wife of the god of the seas was the goddess of the earth Skadi. It so happened that they got married by accident. The fact is that after the war of Ases and Vanes, the goddess of the earth, whose father died in this war, wished that the gods would find her a husband as a sign of compensation. The gods agreed, but set the condition that she could choose her future husband by her legs. The goddess found fault for a long time and, in the end, stopped on her legs, which seemed to her the most beautiful. She thought that they belonged to the son of Odin, the most beautiful of the Ases, the god of spring. How surprised and disappointed she was when it turned out that the most beautiful legs belong to the old and ugly god of the seas.

Goddess of the earth Skadi.

Who knows how many years there was a dispute between them about where to live. Njord was afraid of wolves and therefore did not want to settle on land near the mountains, but it was there that Skadi wanted to live. The goddess of the earth, in turn, refused to live in the sea, because the cry of seagulls annoyed her, and the waves rocked her.

Their dispute was not resolved by anything, so they decided to live separately, and when they meet, they constantly quarrel and swear.

Northern beauty Gerd.

Gerda.

In the northern kingdom, in the palace of the giant Gyumir, the most beautiful maiden of the north, Gerd (Gerda), lived. Her face shone with light, illuminating the darkest corners of the soul.

Once when the son of the sea god Freyr sat on a magical throne and watched what was happening in the world, he saw Gerda and fell in love with her. But Freyr understood that she was the daughter of a giant and an enemy of the gods and could hardly agree to become his wife. But he nevertheless took a chance and decided to send his friend Skirnir to ask for the hand of the beautiful Gerda.

Freyr.

As Freyr expected, Gerda refused to marry him. Even the death that Skirnir threatened her did not frighten her. But the gods always tried to come to the aid of each other. Skirnir had a magic sword on which magical runes were inscribed. He cast a love spell on Gerda and each of the nine runes on his sword each day increased Gerda's love for Freyr.

The son of a god and the daughter of a giant got married, but the love caused by magic could not melt the cold heart of the northern beauty Gerda.

God of Spring.

The goddess of marriage Frigga and the wise Odin had three children, Hermod, Hed, and Balder. The most beautiful of them was Baldr, the god of spring. When he was just born, his mother took a promise from all living things that they would not harm her son, she only forgot to take a promise from the mistletoe, which was very small at that time and simply was not noticed. Balder had a good heart, he never clashed with anyone, everyone loved him.

When bored, the gods often shot arrows at the undying Baldur to dispel boredom, because weapons could not harm him. The vile Loki was very jealous of Baldr, so once he turned into a woman, he came to his mother Frigga and found out from her the secret about Baldr's weak spot. Then he put an arrow of mistletoe into the hand of the blind Head.

Frigga mourned her son for a long time, trying by any means to bring him back to life from the realm of the dead. And in the end, she decided to go down to the realm of the dead in order to persuade the goddess Hel to let her son go. Hel agreed to let her go, but made the condition that all life on earth should mourn Baldur.

But Baldr was not destined to return, and the fault was Loki, who turned into a giantess and rejoiced at the death of Baldr.

Loki's punishment.

Once, when the giant Aegir had a feast, the gods began to admire the skill of his servants Fimafeng and Eldir. The art of both aroused admiration in everyone, and therefore all the Ases praised them incessantly. All this caused an attack of anger and envy in Loki, and he provoked a quarrel with Fimagen and killed him with a sword. All the gods rebelled and Odin expelled him. But he came back and started insulting everyone. But this seemed not enough to him, and therefore, wanting to hurt Odin more painfully, he confessed that he was to blame for the death of his beloved son Baldr. Having said this, he rushed to run, but the gods caught up with him and decided to punish him. They chained him to a rock, and Frigga, in revenge for the death of her son, hung a poisonous snake over him, from whose mouth poison dripped. The faithful wife of Loki Signi, day and night, holds a large bowl over him, into which poison drips, but as soon as she moves away to pour out the overflowing bowl, drops of poison fall on the face of the god of fire, and then he writhes in terrible torment. From this, the whole Mitgard shudders and earthquakes occur.

Ragnarok sunset of the gods.

In ancient times, the Scandinavian gods were predicted that after three long winters, the fetters holding back from Loki would fall, and he would go to war against the bright gods of Asgard, giants and other ancient enemies of the gods would go over to his side and the last battle of Ragnarok would begin. Odin will be defeated by the huge wolf Fenrir, Thor will fight the sea serpent Jörmungandr and hit him with his Mjollnir, but will die from the poison of Jörmungandr. All the old gods of the Vikings will die in this last battle, but their children who are destined to revive the world after Ragnarok will survive.

Which began to form among the Germanic tribes around the 5th century BC and developed before the adoption of Christianity until the beginning of the second millennium AD. The progenitors of Scandinavian mythology are considered to be northwestern European tribes: Angloskas (ancestors of modern Englishmen), Danes (ancestors of Danes), Norgs (modern Norwegians), Swedes (Swedes), Jutes, Germans and others. The population of the island of Iceland retained its pagan beliefs for the longest time due to its later Christianization. Information about the ancient myths of the Germanic tribes is scarce and extremely fragmentary, while Scandinavian mythology, creatures and gods, cosmogony, the model of the world and eschatology are described in detail in medieval literary sources, the so-called Eddas - Old Icelandic texts written in the 13th century.

Model of the world in the northern tradition

Scandinavian mythology is complex and varied. At the heart of ideas about the Universe are nine worlds connected by a world tree called Yggdrasil. The worlds are located in three spheres: in the sky, the earth and below, under the earth. They include countries and areas inhabited not only by people and gods, but also by numerous mythical creatures.

In the center of the Scandinavian picture of the world is Midgard - the middle world, located on earth in the middle of a vast ocean. Around Midgard, in accordance with the cardinal points, there are four worlds:

the abode of the giants-jotuns Utgard, or Etunheim, - in the east;
Vanheim, inhabited by the gods of fertility, the Vanami, is in the west;
the ice world of Niflheim is to the north;
the sultry world of chaos Muspelheim, inhabited by fiery giants, is in the south.

Midgard through the rainbow bridge connects with Asgard - the world of gods-aces, located in the sky. Between Asgard and Midgard is the world of spirits, beautiful elves and fairies - Lyusalfheim.

Under the earth lies the world of the dwarves Svartalfheim and the underworld, the world of the dead Helhem.

Server myths boast numerous characters: gods, goddesses, spirits, demons, giants, gnomes, einherjars, mythical animals and monsters. Among them there are people - heroes, wizards and various mythical personalities.

Gods

The pantheon includes two groups of gods: aces and vans. The first are the main male and female deities, headed by the supreme god Odin. The second are the gods and goddesses of fertility, who are considered more ancient than the ases, but who lost their supremacy to them during the wars. Some gods passed to the Ases from the Vanir and vice versa.

In myths, there are about forty divine abodes of Asgard. Among them, 12 main male gods and 14 goddesses are distinguished.

Gods

One is the head of the Ases, who gave rise to the clan. Once Odin was the god of war, but subsequently took the main place among all the gods. The patron of wisdom, magic, courage, the god of battle and victory.
Thor is the god of thunder, the mighty protector of people and gods, the deity of fertility.
Tyr is the one-armed god of military rules and valor, one of the most ancient and powerful gods of the pantheon.
Bragi is the god-poet, the patron of wisdom, poetry, eloquence.
Balder is the beautiful god of beauty, light, spring.
Heimdall is the guardian of the Yggdrasil tree and the gods, a seer, a beneficent bearer of fire.
Hod is a blind god who accidentally killed the beautiful Balder, the patron of winter.
Vidar is the god of the forces of nature, renewal, rebirth.
Vali is the god of plants.
Ull is the god of hunting and archery, who taught people to shoot and ski.
Forseti is the wise god of justice, the patron of justice.
Loki is an insidious god of deceit, descended from a kind of jotun giants.

Other aces include Hoenir, who endowed the first man with consciousness, Kvasir, who descended from the aces and the Vanir and resolved their conflict, and other aces who do not have clear functions and act as characters in myths.

Goddesses

Vans

The goddess of love and beauty Freya, who lives among the aces and taught them magic, also has Van origin.

Mythical creatures

Tours

Humanoid giants, responsible for the destructive natural phenomena, the personification of evil forces. There are different turses: fiery, sea, mountain, stone, vortex, as well as jotuns and frost giants hrimturs - the first living creatures, from one of which, Ymir, life arose.

Natural spirits, forever young magicians, sorcerers, wizards, blacksmiths. They are divided into light and dark elves, or gnomes (zwergs).

Three goddesses of fate who determine the fate of the world. Their names, Urd, Verdandi and Skuld, in translation mean "fate", "becoming" and "duty". They represent the past, present and future. Associated with the states of the moon: Urd - a young month, the growing moon, Verdandi - the full moon, Skuld - the waning moon.

Thirteen warrior maidens accompanying the dead warriors to Valhalla. Valkyries can decide the outcome of the battle, after which they take the souls of heroes from the battlefields, and in Valhalla serve them at feasts.

mythical monsters

In the Scandinavian epics, there are many mythical animals that play an important role. The most famous of them:

People

Scandinavian mythology, and the gods that inhabit the mythical worlds of the northern peoples, did not sink into oblivion after the adoption of the Christian faith by the Vikings. Ancient beliefs have always lived among the people. And in modern times they were rediscovered for the European cultural community and became the subject of interest of scientists, writers and artists. Today, ancient pagan traditions are experiencing a real revival. The Asatru religion, based on Norse mythology, is recognized as official in Iceland and has many followers throughout the rest of the world. Stories about the adventures of powerful northern gods and goddesses, their outstanding characters gave rise to a whole literary trend - Nordic fantasy and often serve as plots for TV shows, comics and movies.

Scandinavia is traditionally referred to as vast territories located in the north of Europe, and including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, as well as a number of islands closest to them. The historical features of their development gave rise to a peculiar culture, one of the facets of which was myth-making, the characters of which, in turn, were the original and inimitable gods of Scandinavia. Fearless and daring, they were somewhat akin to the Vikings themselves.

Where did they come to our world from?

The list of gods, which contains the names of characters less known than their ancient Egyptian and Greek counterparts, are part of the culture of the ancient Germanic tribes. Information about them has come down to our days mainly in the texts of two monuments of medieval literature. This is the "Elder Edda" - a collection of poetry containing Old Norse songs, as well as the "Younger Edda" - the creation of the 12th-century Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson.

In addition, a number of myths became known from the work of the medieval Danish chronicler Saxo Grammar, which he called "The Acts of the Danes". It is curious that one of his stories formed the basis of Shakespeare's Hamlet, written four centuries later.

Turning to the plots of any myths, regardless of whether they were born in Scandinavia, Greece or Egypt, it should be noted that over the centuries they have been repeatedly edited, which today inevitably leads to many discrepancies and contradictions that have crept into them. Therefore, one should not be surprised when the same events, and even the gods of Scandinavia themselves, are described differently in different sources.

Scandinavian version of the origin of the world

The picture of the birth of the world, presented in it, is colored by the unusual originality of Scandinavian mythology. According to the ancient epic, it all began with a huge black abyss, on one side of which was the kingdom of ice - Niflheim, and on the other side of fire - Muspellheim.

From the realm of ice, 12 streams originated, which immediately froze, but since they beat incessantly, the blocks of ice gradually approached the realm of fire. When these two elements became very close, then from the sheaves of sparks mixed with ice crumbs, the giant Ymir and the same size cow named Audumla were born.

What follows is a description of some incredible events. According to the Elder Edda, once the giant Ymir sweated a lot, which is not surprising, because there was a kingdom of fire nearby, and two giants appeared from his sweat - a man and a woman. It doesn't matter where it goes, but then it says that one of his legs conceived from the other and gave birth to a son. Since it is difficult to imagine, let's take it on faith without going into details.

As for the cow Audumla, she also plays a very important role in Scandinavian myths. First, she fed Ymir and those who descended from him in such a miraculous way with her milk. She herself ate by licking salt from stones. Secondly, another giant was born from the warmth of her tongue, who received it. Thus, its first inhabitants appeared on earth, from whom the gods of Scandinavia were then born, and even later people.

Aesir, Vanir and other mythical characters

It is known that all the Scandinavian gods and goddesses were divided into several groups, the main among which were aces, led by their leader named Odin. Their life was by no means easy and not cloudless, because they constantly had to come into conflict with other representatives of the Old Norse pantheon.

The Vans, a group of fertility gods that claimed to own the world, brought them the most trouble, but they also got it from the jotun giants, as well as from the zwerg dwarfs. And absolutely mercilessly spoiled the blood of the aces female deities - dises, norns and valkyries.

One of the main plots of Scandinavian mythology is the war between the Aesir and the Vanir. It began with the fact that the Vanir, offended by the fact that people in their songs glorified not them, but the Aesir, sent the evil sorceress Gulveig to them in the world (it was called Midgard). Since it was made of gold, then, according to the calculations of the Vanir, its appearance should have spoiled the morals of people, sowing greed and greed in their souls. The Æsir prevented this and killed the witch. This began a war in which the gods of Scandinavia tried to force the issue of primacy. Since neither side could prevail, a peace was eventually concluded between them, sealed by an exchange of hostages.

Aesir supreme god

The leader and father of the Ases was the supreme god Odin. In Scandinavian mythology, it corresponds to a number of characteristics. He is presented as a priest-king, a rune shaman, a sorcerer prince, and, in addition, a Scandinavian god of war and victory. revered as the patron of the military aristocracy and the conqueror of the Valkyries (they will be discussed below). He is in charge of Valhalla - the heavenly chamber, where the fallen warrior heroes spent eternity in heavenly bliss.

Odin was depicted as a one-eyed, but full of vital energy old man. He once gave his missing eye to the giant Mimir so that he would allow him to drink water from the source of wisdom guarded by him. A commendable craving for knowledge, in general, was characteristic of Odin. For example, once, in order to comprehend the power contained in ancient runes - ancient Germanic writings, he agreed to sacrifice himself and hang for 9 days, nailed to a tree with his own spear.

Among other qualities of Odin, the ability to reincarnate is especially emphasized in myths. He usually roams the earth in the form of an old man, dressed in a blue cloak and a felt hat. His constant companions are two wolves or crows. But sometimes Odin can turn into a poor wanderer or an ugly dwarf. In any case, woe to the one who, having violated the laws of hospitality, will close the doors of his house in front of him.

Sons of Odin

The son of Odin was the god Heimdall, who was considered the guardian of the world tree of life. He was usually depicted in the guise of a warrior trumpeting. According to legend, this is how he will have to announce the approach of the end of the world, and gather all the gods for the last battle with the forces of darkness. Heimdall lives in a fabulous house called Himinbjerg, which means "heavenly mountains". It is located near the bridge connecting heaven and earth.

Another son of Odin is also widely known - the one-armed god Tyr, who was the embodiment of military prowess. He lost his arm, however, not on the battlefield. The poor fellow got his mutilation while trying to chain a giant wolf named Fenrir with a magic chain. Once upon a time, this monster, still a harmless puppy, was taken by the Aesir to their country Asgard. Over time, the wolf cub grew up, turning into a strong and aggressive monster, terrifying those around him.

No matter how the gods tried to shackle him, each time he easily tore the shackles. Finally, the elves came to the rescue, forging a magic chain from the noise of cat steps, bird saliva, fish breath and mountain roots. It only remained to throw it on the wolf. To convince the beast of the absence of bad intentions, the god Tyr put his own hand into his mouth, which was bitten off as soon as Fenrir realized that he had fallen for a trick. Since then, the god of military prowess has slain enemies with only one remaining hand.

God tormented by bad dreams

It should be noted that the god of spring, Balder the Beautiful - as everyone called him for his extraordinary beauty, was also the son of Odin, whom the supreme goddess of the ases Frigga gave birth to. The legend tells that once he shared with his mother that he began to see bad dreams often. To protect her son, Frigga took an oath from water, fire, swearing metals, trees, stones, poisons, diseases, animals and birds that they would not harm him. As a result, the god of spring became invulnerable.

Knowing this, the other gods, for fun, threw stones, spears and arrows at him, which greatly annoyed Balder. And then one day their evil jokes ended very badly. The god of cunning, Loki, deceived Frigga that she had not taken an oath from the mistletoe, a shrub that had barely emerged from the ground at that time.

Taking advantage of her slip, the insidious Loki plucked a branch of this plant, and, putting it in the hand of the god of fate Hyod, blind by nature, forced him to throw it at Baldr, who was passing nearby. A sharp rod pierced the beautiful young man and he died, becoming the prey of the kingdom of the dead and its terrible ruler, the sorceress Hel.

Another popular mythical character, Hermod the Brave, is often depicted next to the supreme god of the Ases. He was Odin's envoy to the land of the dead, where he had to redeem his son, the god of spring, Balder, from its ruler. This good intention brought fame to Hermod, despite the fact that the mission itself failed as a result of the next intrigues of the same god of cunning and deceit Loki.

Competitions at Utgard Castle

It should be noted that the tricks of this rogue and deceiver often defame the name of his namesake - the quite respectable and respected ace Utgard Loki, who became famous for the fact that very unusual competitions were once organized in his ancestral castle Utgard. The Younger Edda tells about them. It tells, in particular, how one of his guests - the god of thunder and storm Thor, in the heat of sports excitement, fought with the evil old woman Ellie, who embodied old age, and his friend Loki - the same god-deceiver, competed in gluttony with fire itself .

The culmination of all was the attempt of the local peasant Tyalfi to get ahead of the speed of running the thought of the owner of the castle himself. And although neither the god of thunder nor his friends achieved success, the holiday was a success. Many songs were written about him. Even the fact that the fire, the old woman Ellie, and the owner of Utgard Loki himself cheated pretty much did not spoil the impression, thanks to which they won victories.

Female deities of the ancient Scandinavians

The most directly related to Odin are the Valkyries, whose master (and according to some sources, his father) he was. According to Scandinavian myths, these warrior maidens, sitting on flying horses, hovered invisibly over the battlefields. Sent by Odin, they picked up the dead warriors from the earth, and then carried them to the heavenly chamber of Valhalla. There they served them, spreading honey at the tables. Sometimes the Valkyries also received the right to decide the outcome of battles, and to make the warriors they liked the most (killed, of course) as their beloved.

In addition to the Valkyries, the female part of the pantheon was also represented by the norns - three sorceresses endowed with the gift of clairvoyance. They were able to easily predict the fate of not only people and gods, but the whole world as a whole. These sorceresses lived in the country of Midgard, inhabited by people. Their main duty was to water the world tree Yggdrasil, on the well-being of which the longevity of mankind depended.

Another group of supernatural inhabitants of the ancient world was the diss. Obeying the changeability of female nature, they were either guardians of people, or forces hostile to them. Among the monuments of ancient German culture, of which Scandinavian mythology is a part, as mentioned above, there are texts of incantations in which the power to restrain the onslaught of enemy troops and decide the outcome of battles is attributed to the dises.

golden-haired goddess

In addition to the representatives of the female part of the pantheon, which were discussed above, the goddess Sif, who was the wife of the god of storms and thunder Thor, also deserves attention. As the patroness of fertility, this lady, who was second in beauty only to the goddess of love Freya, gained fame for her extraordinary golden hair, the history of which deserves special attention.

One day, Sif's beauty made Loki, the god of deception, jealous of her husband Thor. Having seized the moment when he was not at home, Loki crept into the bedchamber to his sleeping wife and ..., no, no, don't think anything - he just cut her head off. Nevertheless, the despair of the poor thing had no end, and the enraged husband was ready to kill the wretch, but he vowed to rectify the situation.

To this end, Loki went to the dwarf blacksmiths who lived in a fairy-tale land, and told them about what had happened. Those gladly volunteered to help, demonstrating their art. The dwarves forged Sif's hair from pure gold, making it unusually long, thin and fluffy, which had the ability to immediately grow to the head and look like real ones. So the goddess Sif became the owner of golden hair.

Gods - lords of the seas

Another prominent representative of the Scandinavian pantheon is the lord of the seas Aegir. It is generally accepted that Aegir personifies, first of all, a calm and serene sea, as evidenced by its character. He is a hospitable host, willingly hosting guests, and then visiting them at home. The Lord of the Seas is always peaceful, and never participates in disputes, and even more so in wars. However, the expression “to fall into the teeth of Aegir”, which is common in the old days, which means to drown, suggests that moments of anger are sometimes characteristic of him.

It should be noted that a number of sources name another Scandinavian god, Njord, as the ruler of the seas, and he is credited with a quiet and friendly disposition, while Aegir is depicted as a disturber of the sea and the creator of storms, which Njord has to subdue and save ships in distress. One should not be surprised, since this is just one example of the discrepancies that have arisen in the Scandinavian epic over the past centuries.

The blacksmith who made the wings

The Scandinavian pantheon also had its own blacksmith god named Velund. This hard worker is a character in the epic of almost all German peoples. His fate was difficult and dramatic in its own way. Being one of the three sons of the Finnish king (supreme ruler), he nevertheless lived by the labor of his own hands. In family life, the guy was clearly unlucky. Beloved wife Herver - a maiden, sometimes taking the form of a swan, left him, leaving behind only a wedding ring. Suffering from separation, Wayland forged 700 duplicates of it.

But his misadventures did not end there. Once upon a time he was captured by the Swedish king Nidud. The villain not only deprived the master of freedom, but also crippled him, leaving him lame for life. Imprisoning Velund in a dungeon, the king forced him to work day and night, forging weapons for himself, and precious jewelry for his wife and daughter. It was only by chance and his own cunning that the captive managed to regain his freedom.

The legend tells that once in the dungeon, the sons of Nidud came to Velund, who, like their father, wanted to have swords made by him. Taking advantage of the moment, the blacksmith killed them, then made goblets from the skulls, which he sent to their father, and jewels from the eyes for the queen, and brooches for the princess from the teeth. To top it off, he lured an unsuspecting girl to him, raped her. Having thus avenged himself, the smith-god flew away on wings of his own making, quite pleased with himself.

New times - new characters

With the spread of Christianity in the countries of Scandinavia, all the former mythical deities underwent a certain transformation, taking on the appearance of saints, or, in general, disappeared. Changed beyond recognition and Velund, turning from a divine character into a demonic one. This is primarily due to his profession. It is known that in ancient times blacksmiths were treated with a certain degree of suspicion, attributing to them a connection with evil spirits.

It is not surprising after this that Goethe, having somewhat changed this name, gave it to his hero Mephistopheles in one of the scenes of the tragedy Faust, who introduced himself as Woland. Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov borrowed the find from the brilliant German, immortalizing it in The Master and Margarita, and giving the former Velund a new life in the form of a professor of black magic Woland.

A small list of Scandinavian gods that were not included in our review:

Bragi is the son of Odin.
Vidar is the god of war.
Khenir is Odin's brother.
Forseti is the son of Baldur.
Fulla is the goddess of abundance.
Eir is the goddess of healing.
Lovn is the goddess of mercy.
Ver is the goddess of knowledge.
Jord is the goddess of the earth.
Skadi is the patroness of hunting.
Ull is the god of the hunt.

The mythology of different nations is different, but there are similar motives. The beliefs of the people of that time were based on polytheism, and each significant figure of the ancient Scandinavian pantheon had its own special tasks that performed for the benefit or harm of the common people.

norse gods

The mythology of the Scandinavians has a connection with the Vikings, warriors and kings who created gods and history. In addition, the climatic conditions of that time allowed people to engage in agriculture and cattle breeding. The history of the Scandinavian gods divides them into two main groups: the patrons of war and the earth. They are in many ways similar to ordinary people, so they have both positive and negative qualities.

God Odin in Norse mythology

The main and supreme god of the Scandinavian pantheon was Odin, who was called the father of the gods, a warrior, a sage and a witch. He was considered the patron saint of war and victory. Modern researchers believe that the Scandinavian god Odin ruled the aristocracy.

The special symbols of this deity include Valknut (“the knot of the fallen”), which personified the soldiers who fell in battle.
Odin has several characteristic attributes, such as gungnir - a spear that never misses. It was forged for the god by the dark elves. The supreme god in Scandinavian mythology also has another famous attribute - a seven-legged horse that moved faster than the wind.

God Loki in Norse mythology

The popular Scandinavian god, who is a bright and pretentious character, is Loki. He was unique in that he lived with the Æsir in Asgard, but he came from a different lineage. Scandinavian was a deceiver and cunning, and others took him for his intelligence and resourcefulness.

He was always in search and he was interested in the secrets of the universe.
Loki is vengeful, envious and dishonorable.
The predictions indicate that Loki will fight on the side of Hel against the Aesir and he will die in the fight against Heimdal.
There is speculation that Loki is derived from the Old Norse word, which means "lock or complete." In another version, this Scandinavian deity is close to the cult of the bear and the wolf.
The image of Loki can be found in the "Younger Edda", where he is represented as short and handsome with long hair and a beard.
He is the main culprit in the death of Balder, since he planted a branch on his brother, which he released and hit the god of spring.

God Thor in Norse mythology

One of the most popular gods who was the patron of thunder and storm is. He was the son of Odin and Erda. He occupied the second position in importance after Odin. He was represented with a large red beard. Thor possessed powerful strength and loved to measure it with everyone. Many have heard the huge appetite of this god.

The Scandinavian god Thor had magical equipment - a hammer and iron gloves, without which it was impossible to hold the handle of a red-hot weapon. He also had a belt that doubled his strength. With such equipment, Thor was considered invincible.
He moved across the sky in a bronze chariot pulled by two goats. Thor could eat them at any time, and then, with the help of his hammer, resurrect the remains.
Norse mythology describes that Thor was often accompanied by the cunning Loki, who held on to his belt.
They consider him the main defender from enemies, so he could turn the forces of enemies against them. With his energy, he can cleanse the surrounding space of negativity.
Thor is considered an assistant to workers and peasants.

God Tyr in Norse mythology

The patron of justice and rational thinking was Tyr or Tiu. The Scandinavians called him the god of true faith. He was the son of Frigga and Odin. Tyr was also considered the god of battle. The Scandinavians closely associated the cult of this god with Odin, for example, both were sacrificed by the hanged.

German-Scandinavian mythology represents Tyr as a one-armed god of military prowess, who keeps military rules and patronizes fights.
According to some versions, Tyr could originally be the god of the sky, whose powers later passed to Odin and Thor.
In the myth describing the curbing of the wolf Fenrir, the god Tyr, in order to confirm that the chain put on the animal will not harm him, put his right hand in his mouth, which he bit off. Hence the name "one-armed".

Scandinavian god Vidar

The son of Odin and the giantess Grid was the god of vengeance Vidar. His goal is to avenge his father, of whom he is a projection. The heroes of Scandinavian mythology had several obligations, and Vidar is no exception, as he was also considered the god of silence and an assistant in crisis situations.

According to legend, on the day of the death of the gods, the huge folk Fenrir will swallow Odin, but after that Vidar will kill him. He is often represented as a jet of water, and the wolf as fire.
The ancient Scandinavians believed that this god is the personification of the virgin forest and the forces of nature.
Vidar lived in Landvidi (a distant land), where in a dense forest there was a chamber decorated with branches and flowers.
In Scandinavian mythology, Vidar is represented as a tall, handsome man who was dressed in iron armor. On his belt was a sword with a wide blade. He is shod in iron or leather shoes, which were supposed to serve as protection from the wolf Fenrir, whom he successfully defeated. It is worth saying that only one shoe is mentioned in the myths.
It is believed that Vidar, after the death of Odin, will take his place and will rule the new world.
The Scandinavians perceived Vidar as a symbol of the renewal of nature. They believed that with it, instead of the old, something new and beautiful comes.

Scandinavian god Head

One of the sons of Odin and Frigga was Hed, who was the god of darkness. He was blind, gloomy and silent, as the Scandinavians believed, the personification of the gloom of sin. The legends say that Hed is in Hel, where he is waiting for the onset of Ragnarok (the day when all the gods perish). According to legend, he will return to the world of the living and join the ranks of new deities who will begin to rule the world.

There is not much information about him, but the myths of the Scandinavian gods describe the story of how Head killed his own brother Baldr, who was the god of spring. Frigga knew that her son Baldr would soon die, so she took a promise from everything that existed on earth that could harm the guy, with the exception of the mistletoe shoot, which seemed completely safe. This was taken advantage of by Loki, who took a branch of the plant and put it into the hands of the blind Head, who fired a bow and accidentally killed his brother.

Goddesses of Norse mythology

Next to the strong gods were the fair sex, who were in no way inferior to them and had a wide range of duties. Scandinavian myths have become the basis and inspiration for many thinkers, military men and poets. The divine characters of that time are also used in the modern film and entertainment industry. Many pagans still turn to the Scandinavian deities, for example, the Scandinavian goddess Freya helps people in various endeavors. It is believed that Scandinavian mythology has become a symbolic basis for many religious movements.

Goddess Freya Norse mythology

The patroness of fertility, love and beauty was the goddess Freya, who was also a Valkyrie. Together with Odin, they go to different worlds, collecting souls, which is why they were also called shaman deities. The name "Freya" is translated as mistress or mistress of the house.

The Scandinavians represented her as a beautiful woman with long golden hair and blue eyes.
The goddess of love in Norse mythology rode a chariot drawn by two cats.
She had a valuable piece of jewelry - an amber necklace, which she received for four nights of love with dwarfs and they symbolized the four elements.
The Scandinavian goddess of beauty possessed magical powers, and wearing falcon plumage, she could fly.
Freya was married several times, but all her husbands died or faced other misfortunes.
People who wanted to consecrate a new business turned to the goddess. She allowed to reveal her energy potential for. As a gift, they brought her honey, flowers, pastries, fruits and various decorations.

Goddess Frigga in Norse mythology

The supreme goddess who was married to Odin was Frigga. Since that time, a social status arose for women who had weight in society.

The Scandinavian goddess Frigg had extensive knowledge and could tell about the past, present and future.
It is related to everything that is in one way or another connected with the family. Frigga helped create, preserve and protect the family from various adversities. She also helped with pregnancy. She was considered the patroness of marriage and motherly love.
Scandinavian mythology represented the goddess as a tall, beautiful and stately woman, on whose head was a dress of heron feathers, and this bird was considered a symbol of silence. Her clothes were white, and she also had a belt of gold from which keys hung.
The goddess was often represented with a spinning wheel, with which she made threads that were later used by the norns to weave human destinies.

Scandinavian goddess Salt

The personification of the sun in the mythology of the Scandinavians was the goddess Sol or Sul. It is believed that she sanctifies the world with magical sparks that appear from the fiery earth. According to predictions, on the day when the end of the world occurs, the wolf Skol will swallow it.

The goddess Salt had the ability to bless dying people.
She had two horses harnessed to a chariot on which she moved.
The Scandinavians considered Salt to be the source of life, light and victory.
The color of this goddess is golden, which personifies the sun, but she was also represented in white robes.

Norse Goddess Air

In the mythology of the Scandinavians, Air was responsible for helping people and healing, which could cure any disease and wounds. According to ancient legends, a girl who can climb Mount Lifya will be able to cope with all diseases.

The goddess Air emerged from the ninth nipple of Audumla and is considered one of the elder goddesses.
At first she was at enmity with the aces - male gods, but later Thor and Head began to patronize her.
Priestesses, before appearing before the goddess-healer, should not eat meat and fruits, and still not drink milk and alcoholic beverages.
In ancient ideas, Eir was a virgin.