The Vikings and their Norse Mythology

The Vikings and their Norse Mythology

The Vikings are still fascinating even today, although they ultimately disappeared as a people from history. However, they live on in their descendants - namely in Greenland and Iceland and Greenland, in Scandinavia, in Russia, on the Shetland Islands and even in Schleswig-Holstein. The Norse mythology surrounding the Viking Germans includes all proven myths of the pre-Christian period in Scandinavia, whereby real written testimonies of this time, especially the mythical cults, are absolute rarities and usually represent runes scratched into stone or other materials such as metal. Significant Viking achievements, such as the Vegvisir, a Viking compass, are amazing testimonies of this people. The Vikings had their own alphabet, the so-called runic script. They recorded historical events on rune stones, some of which are still preserved today. Before Christianity triumphed, the Vikings had their own religion and believed in gods like Thor, Frey, Thyr, Odin or Loki. The Vikings' own beliefs are known as Norse mythology.

The main gods of Norse mythology

Among the most important deities of the Winkings within their Norse mythology are old gods such as Thor , Freya , thyr , Odin and Loki .

Thor

The Germanic god Thor is described as the son of the father of the gods Odin. His unique feature was a hammer, which he always carried with him in his right hand. If he threw the hammer, it came right back at him, boomerang-like. Thor was also called Donar and was considered the god of thunder. He campaigned especially for the weak. Thor was an immensely popular god who was lord of thunder and weather. He ensured that farmers had a bountiful harvest by giving them rain and fertile soil.

Freya

In Sweden, Freyr, as Frey is also called, was worshiped as the main god. The god Frey was associated with the sun and was primarily honored as the god of hunting and fertility. In contrast, the goddess Freyja was associated with the moon and conceived as the goddess of love. Frey and Freya have been siblings. Both were distinguished by a special beauty. The two siblings are sacrificial gods among the Aesir and both possessed a golden boar on which they float through the air. The deity Frey is also said to have had a first-class horse, a flying ship, and a self-fighting sword. The gods gave him the Alfheim residence as a tooth gift. As the goddess of marriage and love, Freya is powerful in the areas of life force, divination, wealth, knowledge of the fate of gods and humans, love of freedom, fertility, love affairs and also curses and shapeshifting.

Odin

Odin means "The Inspired". His area of ​​responsibility includes divination and magic. He is referred to as the god of sorcerers, seers, and also as the god of wars and warriors. Therefore, he also plays an important role in the battle-loving Vikings. He also acts as the father of the gods of ecstasy, as well as poetry and runes. Incidentally, the name Wotan's knot, also known as Valknut, refers to the mythological context of Odin, who is also called Wotan. In pre-Christian times, valknut was apparently functionally associated with battle and death.

Loki

The Norse god Loki is also understood as the god of fire and cunning. Although Loki was not born as an Ase, he is closely related to the gods and is of great importance in Norse mythology. His behavior is described as inconsistent, moody and generally ambivalent. Loki can also change his shape. At some point, Loki quarreled with the gods. Basically, Loki was never worshiped by the common people because of his character.

Tyr

Tyr is a god of struggle and victory. In addition, he was regarded as the guardian of the legal order. Depending on the region, there are different names for Tyr, such as Ziu, Tiwaz, Tiw, Teiwaz, Tiw or Tiu. Translated, the name simply means "God". In the origins, Tyr was the main god of the Germans and then also the center of the religion. All other sky gods of the so-called "Tyrkreis", which contained today's zodiac signs even in the time of the ancient Germans, revolved around him. After Tyr was supplanted by Wotan in the course of the defeat in the Vanen war, he was ultimately left with the role of the god of justice and keeper of the tribal assembly of the old Germans. It is thanks to him that the relatively tolerant Germanic society, characterized by democratic values, was established.