Norse mythology or Scandinavian mythology is the body of mythology of the North Germanic peoples stemming from Norse paganism

and continuing after the Christian ization of Scandinavia and into the Scandinavian folklore of the modern period. The northernmost extension of Germanic mythology, Norse mythology consists of ta les of various deities, beings, and heroes derived from numerous sources from bo th before and after the pagan period, including medieval manuscripts, archaeolog ical representations, and folk tradition. Numerous gods are mentioned in the source texts, such as the hammer-wielding, ma nkind-protecting god Thor, who unrelentingly pursues his foes; the one-eyed, rav en-flanked god Odin, who craftily pursues knowledge throughout the worlds and be stowed among mankind the runic alphabet; the beautiful, seir-working, feathered c loak-clad goddess Freyja who rides to battle to choose among the slain; the veng eful, skiing goddess Skai, who prefers the wolf howls of the winter mountains to the seashore; the powerful god Njrr, who may calm both sea and fire and grant weal th and land; the god Freyr, whose weather and farming associations bring peace a nd pleasure to mankind; the goddess Iunn, who keeps apples that grant eternal you thfulness; the mysterious god Heimdallr, who is born of nine mothers, can hear g rass grow, has gold teeth, and possesses a resounding horn; the half-god Loki, w ho brings tragedy to the gods by engineering the death of the goddess Frigg's be autiful son Baldr; and numerous other deities. Most of the surviving mythology centers on the plights of the gods and their int eraction with various other beings, such as mankind and the jtnar, beings who may be friends, lovers, foes and/or family members of the gods. The cosmos in Norse mythology consist of Nine Worlds that flank a central cosmological tree; Yggdra sil. Units of time and elements of the cosmology are personified as deities or b eings. Various forms of a creation myth are recounted, where the world is create d from the flesh of the primordial being Ymir, and the first two humans are Ask and Embla. These worlds are foretold to be reborn after the events of Ragnark, wh ere an immense battle occurs between the gods and their enemies, and the world i s enveloped in flames, only to be reborn anew. There the surviving gods will mee t and the land will be fertile and green, and two humans will repopulate the wor ld. Norse mythology has been a discussion of scholarly interpretation and debate sin ce the 17th century, when key texts were brought to the attention of the intelle ctual circles of Europe. By way of comparative mythology and historical linguist ics, scholars have identified elements of Germanic mythology reaching as far bac k as Proto-Indo-European mythology. In the modern period, the Romanticist Viking revival re-awoke an interest in the subject matter, and references to Norse myt hology may now be found throughout modern popular culture. The myths have furthe r been revived in a religious context among adherents of Germanic Neopaganism. Contents [hide] 1 Sources 2 Mythology 2.1 Gods and other beings 2.2 Cosmology 2.3 Mankind 3 Further reading 3.1 General secondary works 3.2 Romanticism 3.3 Modern retellings 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links Sources[edit]

The Rk Runestone (g 136), located in Rk, Sweden features a Younger Futhark runic in scription that makes various references to Norse mythology Norse mythology is primarily attested in dialects of Old Norse, a North Germanic

language spoken by the Scandinavian peoples during the European Middle Ages, an d the ancestor of modern Scandinavian languages. The majority of these Old Norse texts were created in Iceland, where the oral tradition stemming from the pre-C hristian inhabitants of the island was collected and recorded in manuscripts. Th is occurred primarily in the 13th century. These texts include the Prose Edda, c omposed in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and the Poetic Edda, a collecti ons of poems from earlier traditional material anonymously compiled in the 13th century.[1] The Prose Edda was composed as a prose manual for producing skaldic poetry traditi onal Old Norse poetry composed by skalds. Originally composed and transmitted or ally, skaldic poetry utilizes alliterative verse, kennings, and various metrical forms. The Prose Edda presents numerous examples of works by various skalds fro m before and after the Christianization process and also frequently refers back to the poems found in the Poetic Edda. The Poetic Edda consists almost entirely of poems, with some prose narrative added, and this poetry Eddic poetry utilizes few er kennings. In comparison to skaldic poetry, Eddic poetry is relatively unadorn ed.[1] The Prose Edda features layers of euhemerization, a process in which deities and supernatural beings are presented as having been either actual, magic-wielding humans beings who have been deified in time or beings demonized by way of Christ ian mythology.[2] Texts such as Heimskringla, composed in the 13th century by Sn orri and Gesta Danorum, composed in Latin by Saxo Grammaticus in Denmark in the 12th century, are the results of heavy amounts of euhemerization.[3] Numerous further texts, such the sagas, provide further information. The saga co rpus consists of thousands of tales recorded in Old Norse ranging from Icelandic family histories (Sagas of Icelanders) to Migration period tales mentioning his toric figures such as Attila the Hun (legendary sagas). Objects and monuments su ch as the Rk Runestone and the Kvinneby amulet feature runic inscriptions texts wri tten in the runic alphabet, the indigenous alphabet of the Germanic peoples mentio n figures and events from Norse mythology.[4] Objects from the archaeological record may also be interpreted as depictions of subjects from Norse mythology, such as amulets of the god Thor's hammer Mjlnir fo und among pagan burials and small silver female figures interpreted as valkyries or dsir, beings associated with war, fate, and/or ancestor cults.[5] By way of h istorical linguistics and comparative mythology, comparisons to other attested b ranches of Germanic mythology (such as the Old High German Merseburg Incantation s) may also lend insight.[6] Wider comparisons to the mythology of other Indo-Eu ropean peoples by scholars has resulted in the potential reconstruction of far e arlier myths.[7] Of the mythical tales and poems that are presumed to have existed during the Mid dle Ages, Viking Age, Migration Period, and prior, only a tiny amount of poems a nd tales survive.[8] Later sources reaching into the modern period, such as a me dieval charm recorded as used by the Norwegian woman Ragnhild Tregags convicted of witchcraft in Norway in the 14th century and spells found in the 17th century Icel andic Galdrabk grimoire also sometimes make references to Norse mythology.[9] Oth er traces, such as place names bearing the names of gods may provide further inf ormation about deities, such as a potential association between deities based on placement of locations bearing their names, their local popularity, and associa tions with geological features.[10] Mythology[edit] Gods and other beings[edit] The god Thor wades through a river while the sir ride across the bridge Bifrst in an illustration by Lorenz Frlich (1895) Central to accounts of Norse mythology are the plights of the gods and their int eraction with various other beings, such as with the jtnar, who may be friends, l overs, foes and/or family members of the gods. Numerous gods are mentioned in th e source texts. As evidenced by records of personal names and place names, the m

ost popular god among the Scandinavians during the Viking Age was Thor, who is p ortrayed as unrelentingly pursuing his foes, his mountain-crushing, thunderous h ammer Mjlnir in hand. In the mythology, Thor lays waste to numerous jtnar who are foes to the gods or mankind, and is wed to the beautiful, golden-haired goddess Sif.[11] The god Odin is also frequently mentioned in surviving texts. One-eyed, wolf and raven-flanked, and child-bearing, Odin pursues women throughout the worlds. In an act of self-sacrifice, Odin is described as having hung himself on the cosmol ogical tree Yggdrasil to gain knowledge of the runic alphabet, which he passed o n to mankind, and is associated closely with death, wisdom, and poetry. Odin has a strong association with death; Odin is portrayed as the ruler of Valhalla, wh ere half of those slain in battle may be fetched to Valhalla by valkyries. Odin' s wife is the powerful goddess Frigg who can see the future but tells no one, an d together they have a beloved son, Baldr. After a series of dreams had by Baldr of his impending death, his death is engineered by the half-god Loki, and Baldr thereafter resides in Hel, a realm ruled over by a goddess of the same name.[12 ] Odin must share half of his share of the dead with a powerful goddess; Freyja. S he is beautiful, sensual, wears a feathered cloak, and practices seir. She rides to battle to choose among the slain, and brings her chosen to her afterlife fiel d Flkvangr. Freyja weeps for her missing husband r, and seeks after him in far away lands.[13] Freyja's brother, the god Freyr, is also frequently mentioned in sur viving texts, and in his association with weather, royalty, human sexuality, and agriculture brings peace and pleasure to mankind. Deeply lovesick after catchin g sight of the beautiful jtunn Gerr, Freyr seeks and wins her love, yet at the pri ce of his future doom.[14] Their father is the powerful god Njrr. Njrr is strongly a ssociated with ships, rum, and seafaring, and so also wealth and prosperity. Fre yja and Freyr's mother is Njrr's sister (her name is unprovided in the source mate rial). However, there is more information about his pairing with the skiing and hunting goddess Skai. Their relationship is ill-fated, as Skai cannot stand to be away from her beloved mountains and Njrr the seashore.[15] Together, Freyja, Freyr , and Njrr form a portion of gods known as the Vanir. While they retain a distinct identification, their coming together is the result of a war, the sir Vanir War.[1 6] While they receive less mention, numerous other gods and goddesses appear in the source material (for a list of these deities, see List of Germanic deities). So me of the gods we hear less about include the apple-bearing goddess Iunn and her husband, the skaldic god Bragi; the gold-toothed, white-skinned god Heimdallr, b orn of nine mothers; the ancient god Tr, who lost a hand while binding great wolf Fenrir; and the goddess Gefjon, who formed modern day Zealand, Denmark.[17] Various beings outside of the gods are mentioned. Elves and dwarfs are commonly mentioned and appear to be connected, but their attributes are vague and the rel ation between the two is ambiguous. Elves are described as radiant and beautiful , whereas dwarfs often act as earthen smiths.[18] A group of beings variously de scribed as jtnar, thursar, and trolls (in English these are all often glossed as "giants") frequently appear. The beings may either aid, deter, or take their pla ce among the gods.[19] The norns, dsir, and aforementioned valkyries also receive frequent mention. While their functions and roles may overlap and differ, all a re collective female beings associated with fate.[20] Cosmology[edit] The cosmological, central tree Yggdrasil is depicted in "The Ash Yggdrasil" by F riedrich Wilhelm Heine (1886) Sl, the Sun, and Mni, the Moon, are chased by the wolves Skll and Hti in "The Wolves Pursuing Sol and Mani" by J. C. Dollman (1909) The cosmology of the worlds in which all beings inhabit nine in total centers around a cosmological tree, Yggdrasil. The gods inhabit the heavenly realm of Asgard w

hereas mankind inhabits Midgard, a region in the center of the cosmos. Outside o f the gods, mankind, and the jtnar, these Nine Worlds are inhabited by a variety beings, such as elves and dwarfs. Travel between the worlds is frequently recoun ted in the myths, where the gods and other beings may interact directly with man kind. Numerous creatures live on Yggdrasil, such as the insulting messenger squi rrel Ratatoskr and the perching hawk Verflnir. The tree itself has three major roo ts, and at the base of one of these roots live a trio of norns.[21] Elements of the cosmos are personified, such as the Sun (Sl, a goddess), the Moon (Mni, a god) , and Earth (Jr, a goddess), as well as units of time, such as day (Dagr, a god) a nd night (Ntt, a jtunn).[22] The afterlife is a complex matter in Norse mythology. The dead may go to the mur ky realm of Hel a realm ruled over by a female being of the same name, may be ferr ied away by valkyries to Odin's martial hall Valhalla, or may be chosen by the g oddess Freyja to dwell in her field Flkvangr.[23] The goddess Rn may claim those t hat die at sea, and the goddess Gefjon is said to be attended by virgins upon th eir death.[24] References to reincarnation are also made.[25] Time itself is pre sented between cyclic and linear, and some scholars have argued that cyclic time was the original format for the mythology.[26] Various forms of a cosmological creation story are provided in Icelandic sources, and references to a future des truction and rebirth of the world Ragnark are frequently mentioned in some texts