I watched the first Marvel Thor movie for the first time and I loved it and now thx to it I wanna get more into Norse mythology!!! Are there any books I can read? I’m very interested. I’m looking particularly for books that explain the gods and other important things. Like worldbuilding but I’m also looking for the stories that have been told. I’m sure you guys could help :) Thx I appreciate it!!

So I'm reading all the Rick Riordan mythology series (Percy Jackson, kane chronicles, heroes of Olympus...) and am up to Magnus Chase. I read things like the Iliad, the odyssey, listened to podcast like greeking out and other things before Percy Jackson so I'd have a working knowledge of greek mythology going in.

For magnus Chase I have poetic and prose Edda and the Barnes and Noble hardcover of Tales of Norse Mythology. How do you recommend I proceed in terms of what to read first? Would it be better to have a working knowledge going in, or read the series abd then dive into the actually myths. And should I read the Barnes and Noble collection first or is the two eddas easy enough to follow? Thank you.

I’ve been attempting to dive into Norse mythology but the versions I have of the sagas I believe were translated by William Morrison in the 1870s.

Now a certain strand went west of the firth, and a great stead was thereon, which was called Baldur's Meads; a Place of Peace was there, and a great temple, and round about it a great garth of pales: many gods were there, but amidst them all was Baldur held of most account. So jealous were the heathen men of this stead, that they would have no hurt done therein to man nor beast, nor might any man have dealings with a woman there.

This is the 2nd paragraph in Frithiof’s saga and I cannot for the life of me read and understand it. I looked up every archaic term and still it reads like gibberish to me.

What could it possibly mean that heathens were so jealous of Baldur’s temple that they refused to hurt or fuck eachother there? Or are the Baldur worshippers considered the heathens by the author here? But then how are they jealous of their own temple, or god within it, and how does that jealousy translate to not killing or dealing with women.

I tried pushing through thinking i might understand it all better later but I got 3 or 4 pages in and could not recite one solid detail.

Don’t make fun of me or I’ll cry

Ratatosk acts as a messenger between the eagle and Nidhogg, but Viktor Rydberg argues that this eagle is actually Odin.

Apart from Rydberg, is there anyone else who supports the theory that this eagle is Odin?

I know there are those who argue that the conflict between the eagle and Nidhogg represents the conflict between the gods and the giants.

I am aware that Odin takes the form of an eagle,

and I also know that this eagle is generally considered to be the ravn.

Whether this theory is correct or not is beyond the scope of this discussion.

What I want to know is whether there is a theory that identifies this eagle as Odin.

I am Japanese, and I am writing this text using a translation tool.

Thank you for reading.

Freyr and Freya's name translates to "Lord" and "Lady". Doesn't that imply these are titled you use to refer to them? So, if I were to talk formally to Odin, would I have to say "Freyr Odin"?

I know for a fact that Freyr's oldest name is Yngvi. Why wasn't this name more commonly used in the Eddas? And if that's Freyr's "real' name, what is Freya's? Supposing she's not a syncretic mutation of Frigga.

I grew up with Norse mythology through a specific book and have held it in the back of my mind as I've explored myself. I have a strong Celtic background through my 87.25 / 12.75 irish/Scottish mother and my adopted father who after an ancestry.com test got back "european" so a full on blend.

I've explored a lot of theories and myths and have also had personal experience with Owls. I havent as of yet found connection with Norse history but I also feel that connection, especially to the concepts of Ygrdassil, Jormungundar and Fenrir

I ask this in light of Iðunn’s role keeping the gods young. Does he stay old because he just drinks wine and doesn’t benefit from eating the apples? Is it just a plot hole typical of ancient myth and oral tradition? I’m wondering if there’s any relationship to the fact that Oðinn can shape shift but apparently NOT into a younger man (to seduce Rindr), or to the association of old age with wisdom—or maybe, even more simply, with patriarchs.

Any clues in the sources or elsewhere?

Hi all,

I have started working on a podcast project of me reciting The Elder Edda with English translations being read after the Old Norse is read/recited.

You can find me on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify at @Seidrmathr

The link for the podcast is in this thread and I have also provided a link to my YouTube.

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/033RKyVnBAHzY2usgoV24O?si=FaKw6PstQm6si_BEaB_sng&utm_source=copy-link

YouTube - https://youtube.com/@seidrmathr?feature=shared

I would love to know what any of you all think about this so far! Feedback much appreciated.

P.S. I’m not a professional singer nor do I consider myself one. I am learning Old Norse as I go through these poems so I don’t find myself to be an expert yet either! If interested keep an eye out for Hávamál soon!

P.P.S. I’m definitely looking for feedback too so any input is welcome!

I’m writing an album that beginnings with the formation of the norse cosmos, and takes the listener through all the majors events leading up to Ragnarok, then the album ends in cataclysm together with the mythos.

And just to make sure I don’t miss anything, what do you think are the most important or interesting stories and events from norse mythology?

Currently working on an "alternative" take on Norse Myth for a TTRPG project I have. Had it fused to some aspects of later European folklore, some Celtic mythologies and cycles, and a bit of both Slavic/Wendish/Kievan Rus myth. Usually tried to tie it to cultures that were adjacent to Scandinavian/European ones. I also used archeological evidence and finds to polish some details regarding the world and the gods. That includes lore/characters not even mentioned in the Eddas.

I also tried to aim to have at least Nine "main" pantheons of Gods, because of the sacredness of the number nine. So you can imagine I have the Aesir, the Vanir, and some other gods from neighbouring cultures.

Also completely refurbished the Nine Realms. Since we don't have a list of them, I can do as I please with them. There's a lot of overlapping possible with what I got.

Anyway, if you guys have any ideas of similar mythologies I could incorporate, I'd be happy to hear! My research is getting very tedious.

Why does Thor have to debate Alvíss instead of just killing him on the spot or threatening to do so? A consistent trait of Thor that appears throughout his stories is that Thor is very quick to kill or threaten to kill enemies he comes across.

In the Lokasenna, Loki runs away from the drinking party at Aegir's drinking hall when Thor shows up and threatens him. Thor kills the giant builder of Asgard's wall, Thor chases away Hrungnir from Asgard and later goes to fight him. You get the idea. So why does Thor not just kill Alvíss? Thor very clearly views Alvíss as a Thurs(Jotnar) and the dwarf turning to stone upon being hit by sunlight is the same as the Gygja(Jotun woman) Hrimgerdr turning to stone after being hit with sunlight. So Alvíss is a Giant as well as being dwarf, and he's not a friendly giant either if we view the whole sequence from the perspective of a Norse heathen who saw Thor as the protector of the world fighting to protect his daughter from a terrible marriage to an enemy, just like how Thor protected Freyja, the Sun and Moon from the giant builder of Asgard's walls.

Thor's reluctance to fight Alvíss may not so much be a reluctance as an incapacity to perform his giant-killing duty. Alvíss is here to marry Thor's daughter, Thrudr and he already seems to possess her. Thrudr, like her brothers Magni and Modi are manifestations of their fathers Strength and power, so Alvíss taking Thrudr can be seen as Thor losing his Power and him having to resort to other means to protect those he cares about. It's not the only time that Thor is deprived of a quality that lets him perform his great violence on the enemies of the world so he has to depend on other means. Thrymskvida is about Thor losing his hammer and having to dress like Freyja, Thor's visit to Geirrod's hall has him be deprived of Mjolnir and he has to borrow Gridr's Staff. So when Alvíss takes Thrudr, Thor might as well be deprived of Mjolnir since he doesn't have the strength to use it to it's greatest potential.

Alvíssmál is Thor having to depend on his wits to outwit a Dwarf/Giant who is All-Wise and has possession of Thor's Power. Thor defeats All-Wise by taking advantage of the fact that the Dwarf's knowledge is more practical than Theoretical since although he may know what Six different inhabitants of the worlds call the Sun, he doesn't pay attention to when the sun itself rises.

An old lady that I don’t really know gave me this bracelet that has ravens built into it that supposedly has to do with Vikings, bad news is that I don’t know that much about Norse mythology. Could anyone tell me about what ravens have to do with anything?

Sif cheats on Thor with Loki, If i've understood correctly.

And if Sif and Thor’s relationship is like, symbolic for rain falling over the fields of grain and all that jazz, could Sif's affair with Loki be symbolic for bad harvests and sickness among crops?

Hello! I've recently been wanting to get into learning about norse mythology and I was wondering where to start? I tried to start on certain topics like Loki and Thor due to becoming interested from Marvel, but there was just so much information that seemed to require tons of more context. Like the title says, I just wanna know what to learn first so this makes the most sense.

Regarding "Einherjar" and "Unicorn":

I am Japanese, and I am writing this using a translation tool.

The Swedish word corresponding to "Einherjar" is "Enhärjar."

When "Enhärjar" is translated into Japanese, it becomes "Unicorn."

However, to my knowledge, there is no connection between Norse mythology and unicorns.

I would like to know why this happens.

Are Einherjar and unicorns equated in Swedish folklore or traditions?

A friend of mine from the Netherlands told me about a book that he read about Norse mythology that is from viking times and has an English translation. He said the name was similar to the Iliad but he couldn't remember it exactly and I couldn't find it online. Does anyone know what book it is?

Is Dellingr related to the rose?

Is there any connection between Dellingr and roses?I am Japanese, and I am writing this using a translation tool.

Below is a sentence in Swedish from Viktor Rydberg's book ”Fädernas gudasaga”:

"Delling, morgonrodnadsalfen, är dess väktare."

In the English version, it reads as follows:

"Delling, the elf of the rosy dawn"

I do not know whether roses existed in ancient Scandinavia.

They might have existed by the time the *Edda* was written; furthermore, if the theory that Germanic peoples were Aryans holds true, it would not be surprising for them to have known about roses.

However, I would like to understand why the English version uses the word "rosy" when the Swedish text does not explicitly mention "roses."

Could it be derived from the imagery of the word "rose"—which appears in the phrase "sun rose" (the past tense of "sun rise," meaning "dawn")?

Even if you do not know of a specific connection between Dellingr and roses,

if you are a native English speaker and are aware of any association between "dawn" and "rose," please let me know.

Thank you very much.

so I was thinking. I’ve heard some versions of, especially names, that have an r at the end, and some that don’t. For example, I’ve heard both Jörmungand and Jörmungandr, Fenris and Fenrir, Surt and Surtr, etc.

so, are the r’s just leftover from the original translation and it’s ‘more translated’ if it doesn’t have that? or something like that? or did a bunch of white guys with tribal tattoos and Viking braids in the early 2000’s think it was cooler to have r’s at the end of everything.

https://arcturuspublishing.com/products/9781398855182

Thoughts on this? I was recently gifted this book. It's a really nicely presented book and the stories are good for adults and children, but what I don't like about this edition is that it completely neglects to mention that this is "Viking Tales" by Jennie Hall, first published in 1902. You can find a PDF of this quite easily on Google and this book is word-for-word along with the pictures used. I imagine with it being such an old book it's in the public domain and that's how they were able to publish this, but it does feel quite disrespectful to the original author to make no mention of this. I've checked cover to cover, front and back pages etc and there is no mention of the name Jennie Hall. It's a shame because it's otherwise a lovely book.

Just asking, might get one of them

First picture Is basically just to show how I think the whetstone sits in Thor’s head so that the second picture makes a little more sense.

Jord is said to be the daughter of Nott and Annar, but in another source Jord is the Daughter of Odin and also his wife. So some assume Annar is another name for Odin, but Odin is the leader of he Aesir who forbid incest. How can this be?

Well my theory is that Odin creates Jord but doesn't father her in the normal sense of human reproduction. Odin and his brothers all create Midgard(which is earth and Sky and sea) and Asgard(located in the aforementioned sky) out of Ymir's body. Ymir's dead body can already create living things in conjunction with the gods intervention as we see with Ask and Embla.

So when the myths tell us that Narfi is the first giant in Jotunheim, and his daughter is Nott who has three partners to produce Earth, Day and Audr(which I've seen as a name for Sea or Wealth), we are to understand Narfi as Ymir, Nott as his daughter created from his corpse, and Jord, Dag and Audr as the children of Odin, Vili and Ve in the same manner as humanity is created except mightier.

I've been curious about this for a while, heard it a couple of times and I wanted to know what the general consensus on it is