NORSE MYTHOLOGY
Before the Norse (a.k.a. the Vikings) were converted to Christianity during the Middle Ages, they had their own vibrant native pagan religion that was as harshly beautiful as the Nordic landscape to which it was intimately connected. The centerpiece of that religion was what we today call Norse Mythology: the set of religious stories that gave meaning to the Vikings’ lives. These myths revolved around gods and goddesses with fascinating and highly complex characters, such as Odin, Thor, Freya, and Loki.
The Norse Mythology or religion that contained these myths never had a true name – those who practiced it just called it “tradition.” However, people who continued to follow the old ways after the arrival of Christianity were sometimes called “heathens,” which originally meant simply “people who live on the heaths” or elsewhere in the countryside, and the name has stuck.
Religions are attempts by mankind to reach the numinous, and the Norse religion was of course no exception. It provided a means of doing this that was fitting for the Vikings’ time and place. Even though some aspects of it may strike the modern reader as bizarre, if we approach it with the open mind it deserves, we can recognize within it the common human quest to live life in the presence of the transcendent majesty and joy of the sacred. And even though it’s been a thousand years since the last Vikings laid down their swords, people today continue to be inspired by the vitality and wonder of the Norse myths and the gods who inhabit them.
For the Vikings, the world as they found it was enchanted – that is, they didn’t feel the need to seek salvation from the world, but instead delighted in, and marveled at, “the way things are,” including what we today would call both “nature” and “culture.” Their religion and myths didn’t sugarcoat the sordidness, strife, and unfairness of earthly life, but instead acknowledged it and praised the attempt to master it through the accomplishment of great deeds for the benefit of oneself and one’s people. A life full of such deeds was what “the good life” was for the Vikings.
Included in this Norse Mythology app:
⚔️Norse Gods and Goddesses: Aesir - Odin, Thor, Loki, Frigg, Baldur, Heimdall, etc.
⚔️Norse Gods and Goddesses: Vanir - Freya, Freyr, Njord, etc.
⚔️Giants
⚔️Elves
⚔️Dwarves
⚔️Land Spirits
⚔️Ancestors
⚔️Valkyries
⚔️The Norns
⚔️Disir
⚔️Ask and Embla
⚔️Sleipnir
⚔️Hugin and Munin
⚔️Berserkers and Other Shamanic Warriors
⚔️Mimir
⚔️The Einherjar
⚔️Kvasir
⚔️Yggdrasil
⚔️Midgard
⚔️Asgard
⚔️Vanaheim
⚔️Jotunheim
⚔️Niflheim
⚔️Muspelheim
⚔️Alfheim
⚔️Nidavellir / Svartalfheim
⚔️Hel (The Underworld)
⚔️Valhalla
⚔️Bifrost
⚔️Ginnungagap
⚔️Folkvang
⚔️Hliðskjálf
⚔️The Creation Of The Cosmos
⚔️Ragnarok
⚔️The Death of Baldur
⚔️The Mead of Poetry
⚔️The Aesir-Vanir War
⚔️The Fortification of Asgard
⚔️Odin's Discovery of the Runes
⚔️Why Odin Is One-Eyed
⚔️Loki Bound
⚔️The Binding of Fenrir
⚔️The Kidnapping of Idun
⚔️The Marriage of Njord & Skadi
⚔️The Creation of Thor's Hammer
⚔️Thor Fishing For Jormungand
⚔️Thor The Transvestite
⚔️Thor’S Duel With Hrungnir
⚔️The Tale Of Utgarda-Loki
⚔️Viking Raids and Warfare
⚔️Vikings as Explorers and Settlers
⚔️Daily Life in the Viking Age
⚔️Viking Trade and Commerce
⚔️Viking Ships
⚔️Viking Political Institutions
⚔️The Viking Social Structure
⚔️Viking Gender Roles
⚔️Viking Food and Drink
⚔️Viking Food and Drink
⚔️Viking Clothing and Jewelry
⚔️Viking Weapons and Armor
⚔️Outlawry in the Viking Age
⚔️Selfish Individualism of Vikings
⚔️The Viking's Conversion to Christianity
⚔️Introduction of the Runes
⚔️The Origins of the Runes
⚔️Runic Philosophy and Magic
⚔️The Meanings of the Runes
We hope you'll enjoy the contents of this app. Please leave a rating and review to let us know how it went for you.
Category : Lifestyle
Reviews (11)
I find this collection of articles to be an excellent source to quickly refresh my memory on the particulars of Norse legends. Overall I think the author is able to convey the gods and their stories concisely, although I believe the Viking Age trend of reinventing their deities tends to be a bit overly emphasized. Rather, that trend seems to have been a process of unification between the various Germanic and Nordic cultures and beliefs mirroring their development into centralized communities.
i'm very excited to read this as i'm a descendant of Nordic vikings and practitioners of magic and i haven't been able to find a source with all the information about them together so it'll be fun to learn a little family history (:
This Application is simply wonderful, an excellent source to gain knowledge. Thank you for this.
Surprised that I got an answer from the developers, shows that they care tremendously.
Interesting never knew there were that many nordic characters
It's to the point there is a lot to read and I like it
i love this app... i am learning alot.
I love it
Love it
Very educational!
Norse mythology is a passion for me but so is blocking advertising and trackers, your full screen adds turn me of to such an extreme that I can't be bothered to keep this app installed, I understand you need to make shekels and all but you should find another way to implement the adds. Deleting this app. BTW, the info seems quite good in the app but I have the eddas in my physical library.