Norse 4 Flashcards
Odin (Wodin or Wotan)
All Father; leader of the Aesir, the principal group of Norse gods; god of war, death, wisdom, poetry, and knowledge
Odin (Wodin or Wotan)
Hung himself for nine days on the world tree Yggsdrasil, pierced by his own spear, to gain knowledge; traded one of his eyes for a drink from Mimir’s well to gain wisdom.
Frigg (Frigga)
The wife of Odin, and mother by him of Balder, Hoder, Hermod, and Tyr; goddess of the sky, marriage, and motherhood, and often works at her loom spinning clouds; has powers of prophesy
Thor
Son of Odin and giantess Jord; god of thunder, weather, and crops; married to Sif; nemesis is the Midgard Serpent; travels in a chariot pulled by two goats.
Frey (Freyr)
The son of Njord, and twin brother of Freya; is one of the Vanir, but lives with the Aesir as a hostage; god of fertility, horses, sun, and rain; gave away magic sword to win the hand of the giantess Gerda; god of agriculture and weather
Freya
Daughter of Njord and twin sister of Frey, she is also a Vanir hostage living with the Aesir; goddess of love, passion, and human fertility; nearly forced to marry one time King of the Frost Giants, Thrymr.
Bragi
God of poetry and eloquence; son of Odin
Forseti
God of justice, peace, and truth; son of Baldr; known for mediation and peace; abstained from Ragnarok
Heimdall
The son of nine sisters; god of light and guardians; guards Bifrost, the rainbow bridge into Asgard; senses so sharp, can see 100 miles by night or day and hear grass growing
Balder (Baldr, Baldur)
Fairest of Aesir; god of light, joy, and beauty; dreamed own death, Frigga extracted promises from everything not to harm Balder, but skipped mistletoe; Loki tricked Balder’s blind brother Hoder into killing him with spear of mistletoe; father of Forseti
Skadi
Goddess of winter and cold
Njord
God of the sea, sea faring, and the wind; father of Freyr and Freya
Hel
Goddess of the Underworld (Nifleheim/Helheim); daughter of Loki; known for refusing to return Baldr’s soul after his death
Tyr
God of single combat and heroic glory; lost a hand to the wolf Fenrir in his attempts to shackle the beast successfully
Loki
Giant kin, but lives with the Aesir and is Odin’s blood brother; god of fire and trickery; children include the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent Jormungandr, Hel, and Sleipnir. duped Hoder into killing Balder; after killing Balder, was chained to three boulders with snakes dripping poison onto him.
Gullinbursti
Was a golden boar made by the dwarves Brokk and Eitri; made from pigskin and thousands of pieces of gold wire; Freyr and pulled his chariot; faster than any other horse over water and though air; had golden rays that shone like the sun, and made plants grow everywhere.
Gullinbursti
Many warriors wore the image of Freyr’s golden boar on their helmets given toand shields as protection and good luck.
Frost Giants (Jotuns)
Live in Jotunheim; fight against the Aesir and Vanir
Niddhogg
Dragon that lies at the roots of the World Tree, gnawing through the root to slowly kill it until the coming of Ragnarok; destroys Nifleheim in process
Dwarves
Expert craftsman, especially in smithing; create the weapons of the gods
Norns
Counterparts of the Greek Fates, they tend the Well of Fate at the roots of Yggdrasil; the goddesses of destiny, represented as the three sisters; Urd (or Wyrd), Verdandi (or Verthandi), and Skuld.
Angrboda
Evil Frost Giantess and wife of Loki; spawns Hel, Sleipnir, Jormungand, and Fenrir
Einherjar
Fallen warriors of Valhalla selected to fight at Ragnarok
Valkyries
Servants of Odin that retrieve dead to serve as Einherjar
Ymir
King and largest of the Frost Giants; primordial giant formed in void of Ginnungagap from fire and ice; gave birth to the frost giants and created primordial cow Audhumla; killed by Odin and his brothers,who used his body to construct most of the universe.
Brunhilde
Most beautiful of the Valkyries; resides on a mountain top ringed in fire until Sigrud saves her;
Finrir
Wolf son of Loki and Angrboda, brother to Hel, Sleipnir, and Jormungand; bound to strong Dwarven leash for the safety of Asgard; ate Tyr’s hand; is let free at the coming of Ragnarok; killed Odin at Ragnarok
Jormungard (World Serpent, Midgard Serpent)
Serpent that encircles world and signals the coming of Ragnarok; slain by Thor, but kills him with its venom; son of Loki
Sleipnir
Eight legged equestrian son of Loki given to Odin as a gift
Bygul and Trjegul
“Honey” and “Amber”; Twin cats that embody Freya’s ferocity and fecundity; pulled Freya’s chariot
Tanngniost and Tanngrisnir
“Teeth barer” and “Teeth grinder”; goats that pulled Thor’s chariot; Thor would sometimes eat them if too far away from home, and would use Mjollnir to resurrect them the next day.
Huginn and Muninn
“Thought and Memory”; two ravens of Odin; come back each day to share all forms of information to help Odin quench his thirst for knowledge
Brisingamen
“Flaming Glow”; made by the four dwarfs Alfrigg, Berling, Dvalin, and Grerr for the goddess Freya
Gungnir
Made from Yggdrasil’s sacred ash; Odin’s magical spear that always hits its mark and kills.
Mjolnir
“That Smashes”; created by dwarves Brok and Eitri for Thor; boomerang to Thor’s iron clad right hand; lighting strikes every time it is thrown. Was also capable of reviving people and animals.
Skidbladnir
Magic ship that belonged to the gods, made by the dwarves; could hold all the gods and their equipment, but could also be folded small enough to be put in a pocket; was able to sail on the water, air, and also over land
Gjall (Gjallerhorn)
Heimdall will use this to call the Aesir into battle at Ragnarok.
Well of Mimir
Well of Knowledge; Odin sacrifices an eye to drink from it
Valhalla
Feasting hall of the gods and Einherjar awaiting Ragnarok
Asgard
Realm of the Aesir containing Valhalla; highest realm on the World Tree
Vanaheim
Realm of the Vanir until they merge with Aesir
Bifrost Bridge
Rainbow bridge connecting Asgard to Midgard; guarded by Heimdall
Jotunheim
Realm of the Frost Giants, known as Jotuns
Midgard
Realm of Humans; Earth
Well of Urd
One of the few connections between Niflheim and Midgard
Niflheim (Helheim)
Norse Underworld; dead souls here are ruled by the goddess Hel
Ginnungagap (The Cosmic Void)
Seperates Niflheim and Muspell
Muspell
A land of fire and desolation; ruled by Surt the Fire Giant
Yggdrasil (The World Tree)
It contains upon it the nine realms
Ragnarok (The Final Battle)
Loki leads the Frost Giants againt the Aesir and Vanir; all but select few Gods and Goddesses die, and these create the New Age
