The Lure of the Northern Legends
Tales from the frozen lands of the North
The Gods of the North were red-blooded and bloody-minded. They didn't waste their time lying around on silken couches in the balmy air of Mt Olympus as did their Greek counterparts. Neither were they immortal.
The Gods of Scandinavia came from harsh lands, they had real work to do, courage and honour were demanded, truth was all important and justice was swift.
We can learn a great deal of how people lived in ancient times by the characters of their Gods.
The Gods prepare for Ragnarok
The Gods of the North had a big job to do, an enormous task. They had to constantly battle monsters and keep holding back the outer darkness and, when they showed any interest in humans, it was to gather enough warriors together for the last battle. Ragnarok!
Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, means doom for all, Gods, Giants, Monsters and Mortals. When Ragnarok draws near we will see warning signs.
The first sign will be the murder of Baldur the Beautiful. (This has already happened!)
The next sign is a long and cold winter that will last for three years with no summer between. During this long and terrible Winter, the world will be reft by wars, and brother will kill brother.
Odin the Wanderer, Father of the North
Odin the Wanderer, Chief of the Viking Gods, is the Wizard of the North who gave up an eye for one sip from the Well of Wisdom. His domain was over dragons ...
Freya! I have always loved the Lady. I didn't know her name until I was 15, but she was with me before that. Perhaps all of us are born with a hard-wired im...
Baldur the Beautiful
Apart from Baldur's beautiful appearance and a certain fondness for chamomile when he couldn't sleep, we know very little about this ancient Nordic God. It's...
Loki the Trickster from Scandinavian Stories
In the old Scandinavian Mythology you will come across Loki, the Trickster, a puzzling and complex character. You either love him or hate him, it's hard to ...
The Universe is Created
The Children who will end the World
Children of Loki from Scandinavian Stories
Loki the Trickster had two sons who fought each other so badly they turned into wolves and slaughtered each other. These were the children of loyal Sigurn, w...
The World is Created
Day and Night is Created
The Golden Age of Asgard
Do you know of these Gods of the North?
What do you think about these Gods of the North? Have you met them before?
© 2009 Susanna Duffy
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I have learned a lot about the gods from my third grade son. After learning about them in school he took a special interest in them and started reading several books about them.
Mythology is fascinating. It's time I learned more about the Norse gods, as my hubby's maternal side of the family were from Sweden! Then, I used to live near a South Carolina town called 'Walhalla', named after VALHALLA, their idea of Heaven where (when you died in battle) you were escorted by the beautiful blonde god VALKYRIES.
I just wish that they taught more about Mythology in our schools here in the UK. My younger girls are very interested in Greek mythology, but I need to steer them towards Norse mythology too.
As someone with Scandinavian ancestry, I am very drawn by the Norse gods and goddesses. You should check out The Immigrant Song covered by an Icelandic group named Krauka. They also sing of the Odin and the other legends.
I don't know many Gods of the North or the mythology behind them. I must read up on them, very interesting and dramatic characters that my father loved.
Great page!
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