Norse Mythology
Written by Jamie Kessler and Sean Michael Smith

Of all the systems of mythology, the Norse mythic cosmology — along with its own pantheon and language, the Runes—is the only one that does not claim its origin in an ancient super-civilization. The Norsemen saw their religion as coming directly from their gods, primarily Odin. The Roman pagans and Druids of Gaul and Britain claimed that their teachings, as well as those of Egypt and Sumeria, were from an earlier ancient culture. The Druids claimed to receive their teachings from Atlantis as did the Romans, claiming that all their gods either knew of or came from there. “Julius Caesar, when he overtook Gaul was greatly amazed when he saw the northern and remote Gauls worshipping Mercury, Apollo, Mars, and Jupiter in a manner similar to Latin countries. There has been shown many times the Druids had a large number of Roman deities in their pantheon which they claimed they received from Atlantis.” (Thomas Maurice, Indian and Ancient Antiquities, year unknown) The Romans claimed through Plato, Proclus, Hermes Trismegistus and Asclepius that their teachings and those of Greece came from Atlantis, also called Poseidonis, and Ethiopia. Pythagoras was always said to have Egyptian and Ethiopian teachers who taught him the ancient wisdom of sacred geometry that originated in Atlantis and Egypt. In fact the myth of the day was that all teachings, including those from Thoth, originated in Atlantis, went to Ethiopia and Egypt, then all over the Earth.

In the Nordic Mythology, from the people of Iceland, we are introduced to a rich Pantheon of gods and goddesses, each taking on elemental roles and temperaments of a warrior’s mentality. Every character seemingly embodies many of the vital characteristics that one might wish to have at one’s side in battle; the approval from the god of war, the strength of the thunder god, or the graceful falcon flight of the fertility goddess. Along with these things to embody, there are deities and elements in the myths that could greatly assist in an understanding and coping with the unpredictability and chaos that can occur. Within the myths we see that it doesn’t matter what side you’re fighting on. Good and evil are portrayed as a balance that can sway back and forth, thus any one of them can come out on top.

The Nordic People originate from Scandinavia, which includes the countries now known as Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. During a period of Scandinavian expansion in the years 800-1100 A.D., due to the reduced availability of farmland, some of the Nordic people—known most commonly as Vikings—traveled long distances in their uniquely built long ships. These recognizable ships were built for long journeys and were able to navigate through shallow rivers and streams. This ability gave them great advantage over their neighboring countries who did not expect attack from the sea.

With their abilities to explore and move about the Northern Oceans of Europe, the Vikings traded and raided along the northern seas, founded Dublin in Ireland, conquered much of England, invaded France, and descended the rivers of Eastern Europe as far as Kiev and Constantinople. Norse Vikings led by Leif Eriksson sailed west to Greenland, Iceland, and Vinland (probably present-day Newfoundland and Labrador) and made settlements there.

Sadly, little is known about the people themselves prior to the 1100s. Many of the records and history that remain of the early Vikings are contributed by archaeological and physical evidence, on their literary reconstructions of their myths, and on those who were frequently their enemies and victims (which leads to obvious bias). There are but two main texts that we draw these myths from, the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, both written by Snori Sturluson in the 1200s B.C. From what we do know, the Nordic peoples were a warrior civilization heavily reliant on the sea. Their settlement was thinly scattered and they lived by farming, fishing and trade. Social structure was small, free farmers who owed loyalty (along with taxes) to the headmen or patriarch of the family, or to the head regional noble or warrior chief. The society also functioned on the use of slavery. When the chiefs went to battle, the farmers immediately took the role of both sailors and soldiers for their conquests. Because of the harsh climate and the many enterprises that took men away from home for extended periods, free-born women possibly enjoyed a base of power and responsibility for family and economic affairs not matched by women elsewhere in Western Europe.

The religion of the Nordic people consisted of a number of important gods and goddesses collectively called the Aesir. The most prominent gods include: Odin, the god of war, poetry and leader of the Norse gods; Thor, the god of thunder, strongest of the gods; and Balder, the god of light, the most gentle and beautiful. To every god there was a goddess wife, all of whom were all highly esteemed but were not central characters in many of the stories. In many cases they take on a role of loyalty and mothering.

Worth mentioning is the mortality of the Aesir, high creator gods. These deities understood that a time would come when they would meet their own death. This fatalistic mindset seems to resonate with the mentality of a race of people whom are greatly involved in war. One of the noblest things a Norseman could achieve was to die honorably in battle fighting against the world’s evils, be those evils in the form of a rival clan, inclement weather, or a pack of wolves. To the Norse, the world must have seemed full of evils. In their harsh landscape, seemingly all was against them. It’s no question why the enemies of the gods would happen to be giants of frost. It was believed that if they died heroically they would be called to dwell with Odin in Valhalla, his palace in the realm of the gods. Since their religion emphasizes that all was impermanent, even the Aesir, one can imagine how this mentality manifested on the battlefield. They thought it only right to fight fiercely, and to their deaths.

Ritual and ceremony of the Norse were held in temples of the gods. They were attended by priests responsible for the reading of omens and other types of divination. They also guarded the sacred groves and objects. Their duties were frequently performed by the chief of a particular tribe. Festivals and religious ceremonies were held throughout the year, usually for the celebration of the harvest or of victory in battle. At festivals, animal (or sometimes human) sacrifices and libations were offered to the gods, and the dead were commemorated. The dead were believed to retain their faculties and to affect the fate of the living. Burial places were considered sacred, and sacrifices were made at the sites.

Course Continued…