2. Intro to Norse Mythology
• Norse mythology is the myths and legends of
the Vikings, and of the people who lived in
what is now Norway, Sweden, the
Netherlands, Germany, and many other parts
of Northern Europe.
3. Intro to Norse Mythology
• Later on in their history, the Norse people
converted to Christianity. The conversion was
likely eased along by the fact that many of
their myths and beliefs bear a striking
resemblance to Christianity, as well as the
myths of other cultures that we have studied.
4. Odin
• Leader of Aesir tribe of
gods
• Often leaves the god
kingdom of Asgard on
solo quests
• Contradictory:
– War God and Poetry God
– Tribal Leader, yet solo,
uninterested in
community affairs
5. Loki
• Trickster, God of
Mischief
• Father of Hel, the
goddess of graves, and
Jormungand
• Represented as shallow,
concerned with selfpreservation, but
familial ties with gods,
not the giants that
represent evil
6. Thor
• God of Thunder
• Traditional
Warrior/Hero
• Defender of Asgard and
Midgard
• Enemy of Jorgmund, a
sea serpent that
surrounds Midgard and
bring misfortune
7. Similarities to Other Mythologies
Norns and Fates
• Norse and Greek mythology have two very
similar concepts of three wise old women who
sit under a tree and weave the destiny of
everyone and everything. In Norse they are
known as the Norns, or magic-practicers, and
in Greek mythology they are known as the
Fates.
8. Similarities to Other Mythologies
• Norse has a creation of humanity story similar
to the biblical story of Adam and Eve
• The Norse Aesir gods created one man, called
Ask, represented by an Ash tree, and one
woman, called Embla, represented by a water
pot.
• They were given the human world from the
gods, called Midgard
9. Similarities to Other Mythologies:
Mythical Creatures and Beings
• Like many other cultures, the Norse culture
had legends of supernatural creatures.
Elves
Dwarves
Valkyries
10. Similarities to Other Mythologies:
Creation Myths
• As we learn in “ The Story of the Beginning”
the Norse creation myth is very like Egyptian
creation myths.
• Both believe before the world, there was nothing but
darkness, and things came into being one by one. In Norse
mythologies, there was Niflheim, a cold expanse of ice, and
Muspelheim, an expanse of fire, that met in the middle to
create fog, and life. This is like the Egyptian Nun, a dark great
ocean, from which land and the sky and the gods came.
11. Similarities to Other Mythologies:
Creation Myths Continued
• As in Egyptian beliefs, in Norse there was one
first god, called Ymir. Ymir was like the
Egyptian God Ra, as both gods were the first
to exist, and created all the other gods
asexually.
12. Mythology in Pop Culture
• Myths inspire modern retellings of old stories,
like the Thor movie and comic series, the
sequel of which comes out later this week.
Being a fan of these comics and other like it,
however, unfortunately comes with certain
stipulations.
13. Mythology in Pop Culture Continued
• The new Thor trailer does stay on par with
original Norse mythology in several ways. First of
the character Thor remains the same. He is the
most well known and widely involved of all Norse
gods, He is the god of thunder, and can be seen
carrying his hammer known as Mjollnir, which
means lightning. As in the myths, Thor is
concerned with protecting Asgard, the city and
stronghold of the gods, shown briefly in the
trailer as a glittering fantasy city. However, Thor
also cares about Midgard, the realm of humans,
as he has long been known as the defender of
humanity. Loki is also in character as the
mischievous trickster god, who reluctantly comes
to the side of the gods, as he does in the myths.
14. Mythology in Pop Culture Continued
Listen To This – “Pointing At The Moon”
This song by Faded Paper Figures references mythology in its lyrics “No mythologies to guide
you”. It makes an interesting point throughout the song, that stories and beliefs like the
myths we read guide us by showing us what other people and think and expect. Without this
source of new ideas, we are stuck in the same old patterns we are used to, “pointing fingers
at the moon”.
To read the lyrics, click on the lyrics tab, scroll down to number 9
15. Bibliography
•
Rayworth, Melissa. "Comic Book Heroes Are Hot. Comic Books Are Not. And That's
OK with Their Fans." Windsor Star. The Canadian Press, 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 31 Oct.
2013. <http://www.windsorstar.com/life/Comic book heroes Comic books thats
with their fans/8982032/story.html>.
•
McCoy, Dan. "Norse Mythology." Norse Mythology. N.p., 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
<http://norse-mythology.org/>.
•
"Norse Mythology." Infoplease. Infoplease, 2012. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0197623.html>.
