Norse Mythology (Neil Gaiman)

## Basic Info

Author: Neil Gaiman (Also wrote American Gods and Coraline)

* Born in England

Released: 2017

## Introduction

* The Norse gods likely originated in Germany and from there spread into Scandinavia.
* Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday ,and Friday and named for Norse gods.
* The Vanir were the enemies of the Aesir, they were primarily nature gods who utilized magic and were less warlike than the Aesir.
* The Vanir-Aesir rivalry likely is linked to a real life event in which Aesir god-worshipping tribes invaded the lands of Vanir god-worshipping tribes, and in order to create more stable conditions, the Aesir-worshipping gods made concessions and allowed some Vanir gods to be inducted into the Aesir pantheon, such as Freya and Freyr.
* Often tales of legendary Norse kings and rulers were likely adapted by Christians from tales about gods in order to make them less paganist.
* Freya's Tears - Term used to refer to gold

## The Players

### Odin

* Hung from Yggdrasil for nine days and nights, and had himself pierced with a spear. Finally in the climax of his agony the runes were revealed to him and he fell from the tree.
* Nicknames include:
	+ All-father
	+ Lord of the slain
	+ The Gallos god
	+ god of cargoes and of prisoners
* Travels the world in the form of a tall man with a cloak and hat
* Has two ravens, Huginn and Muninn (memory and thought), who fly across the world and whisper the knowledge they obtain into his ear.
* Hlidskjalf (hlif-skalf) - The high seat of Odin that allowed him to see all nine realms
* Battles were often initiated by the throwing of a spear the the enemy, dedicating the fight to Odin.
* Had the Valkyries carry the ones who died bravely in battle up to Valhalla.

### Thor

* Had a large red beard and was huge in stature.
* Megingjord (megan-drawr-oh) - Belt of Thor that doubles his strength.
* Mjollnir - Hammer of Thor, he utilizes iron gloves to help him weld the weapon
* Mother - Jord, an Earth goddess
* Sons - Modi the angry and Magni the strong
* Daughter - Thrud the powerful
* Wife - Sif of the golden hair
	+ She had a son, Ullr, before her marriage to Thor, he is a hunting god who is usually depicted with a bow and skis
* Is known as the defender of Asgard and of Midgard
* Had two goats, Snarler and Grinder that pulled his chariot. They could be eaten and be brought back whole as long as no bones of theirs was broken.

### Loki

* Son of Laufey and his father is possibly Farbauti.
* Has a very cunning mind, the ability to shapeshift, and shoes that allow him to walk on air.
* Loki was thought to be a heavy drinker, and could not hold in secrets when he drank.
* He was a blood-brother to Odin, and that along with his cunning mind is likely why the gods tolerated his presence.

## Before the Beginning and After

* In the beginning there was only Niflheim, and land of mist to the North, from which eleven poisonous rivers flowed southward. There was also Muspellheim at the southern edge, a land of molten rocks and burning embers. The void between the two was known as the Ginnungagap.
* Where the rivers and sparks of these two mee,t the gods and world were created. But before all of them was Surtr with his flaming sword, and at there he still stands until Ragnarok, where he will come down and destroy all creation.
* The first being to come forth from where the frozen glaciers of Niflheim's rivers met the sparks of Muspellheim was Ymir, who was neither male nor female.
* Audhumla, an enermous and hornless how also came from the convergence of the two worlds, and she survived by licking the salty glaciers of the Ginnungagap.
* The next beings to come forth were Buri, an ancestor of the gods who was freed from the ice as Audhumla licked it. A male and female giant sprung from Ymir's left armpit and a six-headed giant from his legs. Buri married the female giant and had a son named Bor, who then married a giantess named Bestla.
* Bestla and Bor then had three sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve.
* When the three had grown they realized they were trapped forever in the Ginnungagap and that eventually Muspellheim or Niflheim would be the death of them. They then killed Ymir to form new worlds in the void for them to dwell on. When he died however so much blood poured from his wounds so quickly that all giants were drowned, save Bergelmir (Bair-gel-meer) and his wife, who was able to drift to safety in a wooden box and eventually became the ancestor to all giants from then onward. Bergelmir was a grandson of Ymir
* Ymir's flesh became the soil, his bones the mountains, rocks and gravel came from fragments of his teeth that were shattered in the fight, the seas were comprised of his blood and sweat, the sky the interior of his skill, the clouds are remnants of his brains, and the stars, moon, and sun are sparks from Muspellhiem.
* The Earth was believed to be a flat disk encircled by the seas. Ymir's eyelashes were placed around the parts of the world humans were to dwell in, known later as Midguard, and these eyelashes acted as a wall the keep the giants at the perimeters out.
* The three gods then found two logs of wood that had been tossed ashore by the sea. The ash tree they made into the first man and the elm they made into the first woman.
* Odin breathed life into the logs, Vili gave them will, drive, and intelligence, and Ve carved from the logs human forms. The gods then gave them clothing.
* The man was named Ask(r) (ash wood) and the woman Embla (elm wood), deriving the names from the wood from which they were carved.
* Odin is called the all-father because he breathed life into Askr and Embla

## Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds

#### Nine Worlds

* Asgard - Aesir
* Alfheim - Light elves
* Nidavellir/Svartalfheim - Dark elves/dwarves
* Midgard
* Jotunheim - realm of frost and mountain giants
* Vanaheim - Vanir
* Niflheim - realm of dark mist
* Muspell(heim) - realm of flame and Surtr
* Hel(heim) - realm of Hel and those who did not die honorably in battle

#### Three Wells of Yggdrasil

* Hvergelmir - spring in Niflheim where Nidhogg and numerous snakes dwell
* Mimir's Well
	+ Odin cut out his eye and left it in the well
* Well of Urd (Urdarbrunnr)
	+ Urd - Norn associated with the past
	+ Verdandi - Norn associated with the present
	+ Skuld - Norn associated with the future
	+ There many Norns among the various races besides these three
* Yggdrasil is an ash tree

#### Mimir

* Mimir is the uncle of Odin, because he is sister of Bestla
* Since Odin sacrificed his eye for knowledge he has gained many nicknames.
	+ Blindr - The blind god
	+ Hoarr - the one-eyed god
	+ Baleyg - the flaming-eyed god
* Hoenir - became leader of the Vanir following the Aesir-Vanir war, is sometimes one of the Gods that helped Odin create humans.
	+ Mimir was given to him as an advisor by Odin, but Hoenir could not make a decision without him and eventually the Vanir cut his head off and sent it to Odin.
	+ Odin kept Mimir's head alive with herbs and eventually his head was placed by his well.

## Treasures of the God

#### Dwarves

* Brokk and Eitri. Brokk was considered the smarter of the two and EItri the better craftsman.
* Sons of Ivaldi
* Loki cut off Sif's hair and was threatened by Thor until he claimed the dwraves could craft new hair
* Loki tricked the above dwarves by stirring up contention between them and both groups made three gifts each
* In order for Brokk and Eitri to enter the contest Loki had to wager his head, if Brokk and Eitri won Loki would have to give them his head.
* Brokk and Eitri won, but Loki saved his head by claiming the dwarf had no claim to his neck. Eventually Brokk settled for sewing his mouth shut with an Awl, a large needle used in leatherworking.

#### The Six Gifts of the Dwarves

* The contest was judged by Odin, Thor, and Freya

Brokk and Eitri - Loki tried to sabotage the two by attacked Brokk as a large horse fly

* Gullinbursti - Golden boar created from a pig skin
	+ Created to pull Freya's chariot
* Draupnir - Arm ring that translates to "the dripper" in Norse
	+ Creates 8 new copies every 9th night
* Mjolnir - Created from a large ingot of pig-iron
	+ Can change size in addition to its other well-known abilities
	+ Had a short handle due to Loki's sabotage

The Sons of Ivaldi

* Gungnir - Spear of Odin
	+ An oath taken on the spear is unbreakable and it always finds its mark when thrown.
* Sif's new golden hair
* *Skíðblaðnir -* a new ship for Freya that could be in the form of a thin piece of cloth

#### The Wall of Asgard

* Built by an unnamed giant who was accompanied by the horse Svaðilfari
* Claimed he could do it in 3 seasons, and asked for Freya, the Sun, and the Moon in return.
* Brisingamen - Freya's necklace, which at one point was stolen by Loki in seal form but was eventually returned after Heimdall became a seal himself and defeated Loki
* Eventually Loki turned it into a contest, and the man was promised all he requested on the condition he builds the wall in only one season and with no help besides that of his horse.
* Stone boat - sled used for transporting stone
* Kvasir - poet and wisest of all men formed by the saliva of the Aesir and Vanir. Dwelled among the gods and assisted them.
* The giant was about the finish the wall when Loki lured Svaðilfari away in the form of a mare, leaving the giant unable to complete the wall.
* Eventually the giant showed he true form and was ready the attack the gods when Thor arrived and easily slayed the giant.
* Sleipnir - Child of Thor and Svaðilfari

## Loki's Children

* Sigyn - goddess who was wife to Loki and became a very unhappy woman after marrying Loki and hat two children with him:
	+ Narfi
	+ Vali
* Odin dreamed that Loki had other children and sent Tyr and Thor to capture and bring them back.
* Angrboda - giantess and mother of 3 of Loki's children
	+ Jormungundr - large serpent that can spit burning black venom. Was sent to the sea that circled Midgard
	+ Hel - daughter of Loki who was half dead, half living. Went on to rule over the realm of the unworthy dead.
		- Bowl - Hunger
		- Knife - Famine
		- Bed - Sick-bed
	+ Fenrir/Fenris Wolf - Large amber-eyed grey wolf that could speak
		- Broke the first chains the gods attempted to bind him with, and then with effort the 2nd set of chains as well.
		- Eventually Frey's light-elf servant, Skírnir, was dispatched to Svartalfheim to have a chain crafted to bind Fenrir.
		- The chain was called Gleipnir, and was comprised of the following:
			* Footsteps of a cat
			* Beard of a woman
			* Roots of a mountain
			* Sinews of a bear
			* Breath of a fish
			* Spittle of a bird
		- Gleipnir did not look like other chains, but instead was in the form of a thin, weightless ribbon
		- Fenrir was successfully bound by Gleipnir, but would only do so if a god's hand was placed in his mouth. Tyr, the only god who had really showed any kindness towards Fenrir, volunteered and when Fenrir realized he was bound he bit off Tyr's right hand.
		- As he was being bound a god jammed a sword in his snarling mouth, preventing it from ever closing and giving Fenrir the appearance of a mountain and stream flowing out of the mouth of a cave.

## Freya's Unusual Wedding

* Freja's feathered cloak: Allowed her or whoever wore it to fly in hawk form
* Thrym(r) - Lord of the giants/ogres
* In one story Thrym stole Thor's hammer and only would give it back if he could have Freya's hand in marriage
* Freya refused and eventually Heimdallr came up with the idea to dress Thor up as a woman in Freya's place
* The plan worked, and when Thor got his hammer back he slew all the giants at the feast. Thor almost blew his cover with how much food he had consumed, but Loki informed Thrym that "Freya" was so hungry as she had refused food and drink for may days in anticipation of the wedding.
* Fulla - goddess who attended to the jewelry of Frigg/Freya
* Idunn - Goddess of spring and rejuvenation and wife of Braggi. Keeper of the magic apples of immortality.
* Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr - Grinder and snarler, the goats that pulled Thor's chariot
* Freya and Freyr are the children of Njord and Skadi

## The Mead of Poets

* The spittle that formed Kvasir was spit by the Aesir and Vanir to make their peace agreement binding
* Fjalar and Galar - Dwarves who killed Kvasir and formed the mead of poetry by mixing his blood with honey
* Gilling(r) - giant who, along with his wife, was killed by Fjalar and Galar
* Suttung(r) - Son of Gilling who obtained the mead of poetry in exchange for sparing the lives of Fjalar and Galar
* Baugi - brother of Suttung(r)
* Rati - magic drill of the gods
* Gunnlöd - Daughter of Suttung(r)
* After Suttugnr obtained the mead of poetry Odin desired it. He brought with him Rati and a great whetstone to the fields of Baugi. He shaprened the scythes of his servants and when they expressed their desire to have the whetstone and told them whoever could catch it in the air could have it. When he threw it they all slit one another's throats jumping for it.
* Baudi was robbed of his workforce and when Odin offered to do the work of the 9 dead men in exchange for some of his brother's mead Baudi agreed. At the end of the harvest Suttung(r) refused Baugi's request for a taste of mead and so Odin and Baugi climbed the mountain where the 3 containers of mead where kept. Odin had Baudi drill a hole into the mountain with Rati and eventually in snake form was able to enter the drilled hole and avoid Baudi's attempted betrayal.
* Odin then took on a giant form and seduced the daughter of Suttung, eventually tricking her into giving him 3 tastes of the mead after spending 3 night with her.
* Odin swallowed all of the mead with his 3 sips from the 3 containers and was able to get away from Gunnlod. He left in eagle form and Suttungr followed but could not reach him in time before Odin deposited all the mead from his beak into containers in Asgard, though some of the mead flow out of his butt into the face of Suttungr. Thus, it is said good poetry is a gift of Odin from his beak, and bad poetry is from his butt.

## Thor's Journey to the Land of the Giants

* Þjálfi (Thialfi) and Röskva - siblings who lived at the edge of the wilderness
	+ Thialfi was extremely fast
* Thialfi and Roskva became servants of Thor when he and Loki cam to lodge with the family during one of their journeys. Thialfi was convinced by Loki to eat the marrow of Grinder's leg bone, causing him to not come back to life whole and as a result both Thialfi and Roskva pledged to become Thor's servents so that their lives and those of their parents would be spared.
* Skrymir - huge giant with black hair, white skin, and piercing blue eyes
	+ Traveled with Thor, Loki, and Thialfi for sometime on their way to Utgard, the fortress of the giants
	+ Thor quickly grew sick and tired of his snoring and 3 times tried to kill him with a blow to his head with Mjolnir, but every strike seemed to Skrymir to be just a pebble or leaf falling on his head. Eventually he parted ways with the trio.
* Utgardaloki - King of the Giants
* Eventually the three arrived at Utgard amidst a party. The giants challenged the three toa contest of their choosing. All three lost easily to the giants in their respective contests; Loki in an eating contest, Thialfi in a running contest, and Thor in a drinking contest.
* Eventually Thor is asked to pick up the giant king's housecat, which is is unable to do, and is also asked to wrestle the king's foster mother, Elli, who is able to defeat Thor
* Eventually the giant reveals that he tricked the three with illusions. He was Skrymir and placed a mountain between his forehead and Thor's hammer to withstand his blows, Loki went up against wildfire and Thialfi against the speed of thought itself
* Thor's drinking horn was drawing from the depths of the ocean, the cat was Jormungandr, and the old woman was the personification of old age itself
* Upon hearing this Thor attempted to slay Utgardaloki, but he vanished and took his whole fortress with him, knowing he could never withstand the might of the gods and sought to hide from them forever.

## The Apples of Immortality

* The story involves the trio of Thor, Loki, and Hoenir.
* They were hungry and come upon a herd of cattle but could not cook their flesh.
* An enormous eagle above them informed them magic was at work and that he could help them cook the meat in return for some food.
* The gods agreed and the eagle with a beat of its wings allowed the fire to cook the meat, and then proceeded to take a large portion of the meat.
* Loki attempted to force the eagle to drop some food with a jab of his spear and lodged it in the eagle, causing it to take off with him clinging to his spear.
* The eagle flew high and attempted to drop Loki, but Loki begged for his life and told Loki he would let him go in return for him bringing Idunn and her apples to him, to which Loki agreed.
* Eventually Loki tricked Idunn into the forest, claiming better apples than her own were a ways in. Up coming to a pine tree the eagle swooped down and grabbed Idunn as well as her apples, but not before revealing himself as Thiazi, the father of Skadi.
* The gods quickly determined Loki was the cause of her disappearance, and threatened him with torture and death unless he got Idunn back. In the meantine he tasked the gods with creating a huge pile of wood shavings.
* In falcon form he flew to Thiazi's keep and transformed Idunn into a hazelnut and made his way back to Asgard.
* Thiazi quickly noticed her absence and pursued Loki. As Loki approached Asgard the gods lit the pile of shavings, which after a delay which allowed Loki to fly over it burst into flames and burned all the feathers off of Thiazi. He was then killed by Thor while in his frail, naked eagle form.
* Eventually Skadi came seeking revenge, but a peace was negotiated, from which she was promised a husband, promised to laugh again, and promised to never have her father forgotten.
* She desired Baldur, but could only choose a husband based off of his feet alone. She eventually chose what she though was Baldur's feet, but what ended up being Njord's.
* Njord was the god of chariots, among other things.
* Loki eventually made Skadi laugh by tying his private parts to the beard of goat in a tug of war of sorts.
* Thiazi was to be remembered forever as his eyes were cast into the sky by Odin, and became two stars.

## The Story of Gerd and Frey

* Frey was the god of the seasons and of the harvest
* Sword of Frey - a magical sword that fought on its own
* Naglfar - Boat of the dead made entirely of fingernails
* Frey was a de facto ruler of sorts in Alfheim
* Einherjar translates to "those who fight alone"