How Did Norse Mythology Affect The Viking Way

Scandinavian Paganism, more commonly known as Norse Mythology, was a popular polytheistic religion during the Anglo-Saxon time period. It is believed to have been derived from the culture of Germanic Paganism. According to Norse Mythology, at the center of the universe lies the greatest ash tree, known as Yggdrasil, whose roots and branches spread across the universe connecting each of the nine realms of Aesir, giants, and Niflheim. The world was believed to have been created by the body of Ymir, a giant that was killed and dismembered by the first gods. His flesh created the earth, his bones formed the mountains, and his blood filled the seas.

     An important point on the subject of Odin remains that unlike the Christian God, Norse gods such as Odin are fallible. They show bias towards specific mortals and often act out of their best interest. Often times, advice given by such gods has selfish intent and only serves as the means to which the god creates his ultimate end.

The Norse people were a very complex group who were portrayed as savages and killers, but instead were an advanced group, skilled workers and very democratic and this can be seen through their gods, goddesses, and rituals. Could it be that the way that people describe a civilization for so long change the way that people see them? Throughout history the Norse people have been portrayed poorly while in reality they are not completely the way that they are described to be. Not only are they polytheism, believing in multiple gods, but they act very much like their gods.

Helmets are worn to protect. Not only do they phsycially protect our heads, but they also protect the aspirations that reside within our minds. As Vikings we are full of aspirations to achieve and do great things. Collectively we aspire to represent our school with pride and individually we aspire to reach our full and unique potential. We now remove the helmet to reveal our faces and aspirations in the ensuing pages. These are the faces and dreams that gave life to Raines during the 2015-2016 school year. See in our smiles and bright eyes what it means to be a Viking.

There are many interesting Eras throughout history. Though there are many that I would love to have been there for, if I had to choose just one, I would pick the Viking Age. This period of time interests me for many different reasons including the way they lived and even their religion.

I think Loki ate the witch’s heart because that just who he is. He was a mischief-maker. He did not fit in with the gods; he was not very nice and liked to be on the evil side of things. Loki decided that eating the witch’s hear would be a perfect way to become completely evil on the inside. The flames could not consume the heart; however Loki just simply picks up the heart. No one could stop Loki because he was on a mission to be defiant. Loki heard the whispers from Gulveig the witch. Loki’s mind had been transformed to hate the gods.

In Thor, we have a character who is more complex that the rest of the comic book heroes regarding origins. While Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and the rest of the Avengers are purely fictional characters originating from the early or the mid-20th century, Thor is a very established name from Norse mythology and Scandinavian legends. He first appeared in Marvel’s Journey into Mystery #83 in 1962 as a creation Stan Lee, his brother Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby who tried to modernize the mythological Thor and make him a superhero. Lee, Lieber and Kirby tried to incorporate some of original Thor’s traits from the Eddas (collection of Old Norse poems originating from Iceland and dating back to the 13th century) but nevertheless also made some important

Hundreds of years ago people did not have the technology to explain different forces of nature. They created gods, each with separate powers, to rule their domains. Some of the gods were merciful, some were wicked, and others were merely servants of more powerful gods. Looking at the gods, it is easy to tell what the civilization most valued. I am going to look at the Greek and the Norse gods to compare what was most important to their societies.

The notorious Vikings were an influential force in ancient history leaving death and destruction in their wake for hundreds of years until their reign of terror ultimately collapsed. Who the Vikings were and how they were capable of traveling hundreds of miles during the Middle Ages by using water as their mode of transportation is a question that archaeologists and explorers have long tried to answer. The Viking Age started in 800 A.D., inhabited by people from Scandinavian and nearby countries, and collapsed a few hundred years later (Ogilvie, Barlow, and Jennings 35). Although a relatively short period, the Vikings’ impact was significant and archaeologists still strive to unravel the mysteries that shroud their lore, legend, and ultimate collapse. Scientific research and artifacts prove that the Vikings colonized Greenland, Iceland, and Newfoundland around the 9th and 10th centuries (Godfrey 35; McGovern 331). Evidence substantiates that the Vikings were the first Europeans to reach North America due to their exceptional shipbuilding technology, seafaring skills, and merciless determination to achieve wealth and resources. However, their heinous principles and ruthless greed initiated the demise of their social complexity and subsequent collapse of their terrorizing reign.

Norse Mythology’s creation started with a giant named Ymir. He emerged from the ground and grew very large from cow’s milk. In time, the god Buri and his wife appeared and gave birth to Bor and Bor’s son was named Odin. Ymir, was evil, and the gods didn’t like it, so they killed him, making his huge body form the earth. His blood became the sea, his flesh became land, his bones became mountains, his hair became the trees, and his

Skandia is a Viking like land where the inhabitants must be strong to survive and prosper. Unfortunately, not all Skandian children live up to the expectations set for them. Will, a half Scandian, half Arluen child is the weakest and the smallest of his age group. Will is met with mockery and disdain for the majority of his younger years. Despite his best efforts to be an equal, Hal’s inventions only serve to further alienate him from his Village. Skandians were supposed to think with their muscles not their brains. Because of this, when the time came to enter a Brotherband, Will was unwanted. However, Will was not the only outcast of his age group. Stig, Edven, Ingvar, Jesper, Stefan, Ulf, and Wulf all find themselves unwanted in the Brotherband

Throughout all of history, religions have been varying and vast through nations, Countries, and continents, though their time periods meet equally. One of the largest examples of this is the two most notable mythologies through history, Greek and Nordic mythologies. These two vast mythologies were variants of each other, where there were similarities and differences of each item. Norse mythology was based on a system of gods and goddesses, the main god being Odin, Odin is associated with healing, death, knowledge, and battle. Aesthetically, Odin is usually pictured as a timely older male, with one eye, the left eye to be exact; Odin went to the Well Of Wisdom in Asgard, which is guarded by Mimir the wise, and begged for a “draught” or

There are many mythologies in the world, and all of these have things in common as well as differences. A very popular mythology would be Greek mythology, Which many people know about it or at least know of it. Another not as popular mythology is Norse mythology; Norse mythology is the religion of the Norse people. The Norse people are the ancient people of northern Europe (Scandinavia, Iceland, Denmark, Northern Germany etc.) (World Book 259).

Viking history and culture have been depicted in many movies, television series, and stories. Vikings are commonly known as barbarians that raid villages and intimidate others with huge ships with dragon heads, and horned helmets. This information is based on facts, but has been distorted and exaggerated over many years and tales. Viking history spans from the years 780 until 1100, which is the time span of the Viking raids. Not every Scandinavian was a Viking; Vikings were known as the men that conducted raids and bloody battles. The old definition of Viking was synonymous with the term pirate. The modern definition is relevant to the Scandinavian medieval culture, to include farming, crafting and trading.

The strengths of the Vikings surely was the most significant factor in enabling them to be successful in terms of their strategies and tactics. Their strategies for example included the ‘Great Army’ which consisted of small forces therefore allowing them to use the element of surprise to their advantage and so raid completely undetected. They first gathered in East Anglia (866/7) and were skillfully able to live of this land by taking horses and supplies from the locals. The success of these Great Armies is clearly represented by their ability to destroy 3 kingdoms including Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia. The Great Army was certainly key as it was believed to have been able to ‘dramatically change the political and demographic