I’m interrupting my normal schedule to share something hugely important to me with you guys (fear not, I’ll put up the post about Hades on Friday! I’m not skipping my favorite god!)
I published my book!
Hammerfall is the first in the Chosen of the Gods series. It follows a police officer named Liam who finds Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor. The use of Mjolnir grants Liam some of the god’s powers. His finding the hammer is no coincidence - Ragnarok, the Doom of the gods, has arrived, and the gods need the help of mortal heroes. To stop Ragnarok, Liam will team up with a berserk warrior, the descendent of a valkyrie, and a woman who bears a relic of Loki - but the Trickster watches the group through the eyes of this woman and tries to counteract their every move. Can the unlikely group of heroes stop Loki and halt Ragnarok, or will they be forced to watch the world end in fire?
If you’re interested, or if you just want to support me because you’re awesome like that, the book can be purchased through Amazon here.
The book contains a fair chunk of Norse mythology. It has mythical details that ought to interest those new to Norse mythology, as well as some that ought to please the Norse enthusiast. If you read my Norse posts and found them interesting, or if you just like my writing style, I think you’ll enjoy Hammerfall.
If you read the book and like it, I would ask that you please leave me a review on Amazon. I’m a small author self-publishing, so the only way people will hear about my book is via word of mouth. Your review would give my book credibility and hopefully lead to more people checking it out.
Speaking of which, please feel free to share this with any friends you think might be interested! Maybe you know someone who really likes mythology, or who just really, really like's Marvel's Thor. If that's the case, they'd probably enjoy Hammerfall!
Thank you guys so much for your support! I’m so excited!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Zeus: Keep it in your pants, dude!
The title of this post may seem crude, but it is very accurate. Zeus is a notorious womanizer in most of the Greek myths, a love ’em and leave ’em sort of god. As I mentioned in my Intro post, Zeus is married to Hera. Hera, goddess of marriage, is one of the 12 major gods/goddesses that make up the Greek pantheon. Zeus once slept with another of these major goddesses, Demeter - Hera’s sister.
Knowing this, you’re hopefully getting the sense that Zeus is a complete and utter jerk - and I totally agree with that. Sleeping with your wife’s sister is just not something that one should do! (Although technically, Zeus, Hera, and Demeter are all siblings...so yaaaay, incest?) It would be bad enough if Demeter was Zeus’ only conquest, but there are in fact many, many others. Seduction is the game of this god - and his seductions often happen in the most CREEPY ways possible.
(Warning - Looking up pictures of the myths talked about below is not for the faint of heart. Take care, lest you never look at a swan the same way again! No, seriously.)
For some reason, Zeus has the power to shapeshift. This power totally makes sense with his rule over the skies, right? Or, you know, not...Anyway, Zeus often uses his shapeshifting abilities in his efforts to “woo” a lady. Take Leda, for instance. She was a beautiful, married Spartan woman that Zeus desired. In order to get close to her, he disguised himself as a magnificent swan...and then lured her off to have sex.
Some myths say that two of the children borne from this union hatched from an egg.
Then there’s Europa. Zeus was attracted to this lovely woman and devised a plan to make her his own. He turned himself into a beautiful bull and lured her to him. The bull knelt before Europa, and she climbed onto the back of the gentle creature - at which point the disguised god ran across the ocean and took her to a deserted island for Zeus to have his way with her.
As if incest and bestiality weren’t enough - Zeus had to add kidnapping to the list!
But wait, there’s more! Last up for this post is Danae. This maiden had been locked up due to a prophecy saying that her son (not yet conceived) would kill his grandfather. Zeus was so smitten with her that he entered her prison as a shower of gold...and somehow impregnated her.
Creepy, yes? Guess that prison wasn’t built to be god-proof!
Zeus’ dalliances did not just infuriate his wife; they often ended in tragedy for the children of his unions. (Admittedly, that tragedy was sometimes brought about by a vengeful Hera...) There are many examples of this, but lets look at the three we’ve already discussed.
One of the children of Zeus and Leda was Helen. Yes, that Helen. The Helen whose face launched a thousand ships, started a war that lasted for over ten years, and killed an untold number of Greeks and Trojans. Ironically, this was all because Helen, like her divine father, could not stay faithful to her spouse.
Our second example is Europa. Zeus seduced her as a bull - so it’s ironic that the child of this union should be Minos. Minos’ wife slept with a bull (who was not a god) and gave birth to the Minotaur, who Minos trapped inside a huge maze and fed human sacrifices to. This lasted until a hero came and slew the Minotaur.
Danae’s union with Zeus was the only one of the three we’ve talked about that did not end in disastrous consequences. Admittedly, her father was slain by her son, Perseus, but still. Perseus is actually one of the few Greek demigods who gets a happy ending to his story.
Now that we’ve talked about all of this, I have a question for you. What would have happened if Zeus had remained faithful to his wife all along? Would the Trojan War have happened if Helen had never been born? Would the Minotaur have ever come to exist? How many people would have stayed alive...if Zeus had just kept it in his pants?
You’re welcome to post below or email me with any thoughts you have on the matter - I’d love to hear them! Next post we’ll be talking about Hades, brother of Zeus and Lord of the Underworld.
Knowing this, you’re hopefully getting the sense that Zeus is a complete and utter jerk - and I totally agree with that. Sleeping with your wife’s sister is just not something that one should do! (Although technically, Zeus, Hera, and Demeter are all siblings...so yaaaay, incest?) It would be bad enough if Demeter was Zeus’ only conquest, but there are in fact many, many others. Seduction is the game of this god - and his seductions often happen in the most CREEPY ways possible.
(Warning - Looking up pictures of the myths talked about below is not for the faint of heart. Take care, lest you never look at a swan the same way again! No, seriously.)
For some reason, Zeus has the power to shapeshift. This power totally makes sense with his rule over the skies, right? Or, you know, not...Anyway, Zeus often uses his shapeshifting abilities in his efforts to “woo” a lady. Take Leda, for instance. She was a beautiful, married Spartan woman that Zeus desired. In order to get close to her, he disguised himself as a magnificent swan...and then lured her off to have sex.
(The least disturbing picture I could find.)
Some myths say that two of the children borne from this union hatched from an egg.
Then there’s Europa. Zeus was attracted to this lovely woman and devised a plan to make her his own. He turned himself into a beautiful bull and lured her to him. The bull knelt before Europa, and she climbed onto the back of the gentle creature - at which point the disguised god ran across the ocean and took her to a deserted island for Zeus to have his way with her.
As if incest and bestiality weren’t enough - Zeus had to add kidnapping to the list!
But wait, there’s more! Last up for this post is Danae. This maiden had been locked up due to a prophecy saying that her son (not yet conceived) would kill his grandfather. Zeus was so smitten with her that he entered her prison as a shower of gold...and somehow impregnated her.
Creepy, yes? Guess that prison wasn’t built to be god-proof!
Zeus’ dalliances did not just infuriate his wife; they often ended in tragedy for the children of his unions. (Admittedly, that tragedy was sometimes brought about by a vengeful Hera...) There are many examples of this, but lets look at the three we’ve already discussed.
One of the children of Zeus and Leda was Helen. Yes, that Helen. The Helen whose face launched a thousand ships, started a war that lasted for over ten years, and killed an untold number of Greeks and Trojans. Ironically, this was all because Helen, like her divine father, could not stay faithful to her spouse.
Our second example is Europa. Zeus seduced her as a bull - so it’s ironic that the child of this union should be Minos. Minos’ wife slept with a bull (who was not a god) and gave birth to the Minotaur, who Minos trapped inside a huge maze and fed human sacrifices to. This lasted until a hero came and slew the Minotaur.
Danae’s union with Zeus was the only one of the three we’ve talked about that did not end in disastrous consequences. Admittedly, her father was slain by her son, Perseus, but still. Perseus is actually one of the few Greek demigods who gets a happy ending to his story.
Now that we’ve talked about all of this, I have a question for you. What would have happened if Zeus had remained faithful to his wife all along? Would the Trojan War have happened if Helen had never been born? Would the Minotaur have ever come to exist? How many people would have stayed alive...if Zeus had just kept it in his pants?
You’re welcome to post below or email me with any thoughts you have on the matter - I’d love to hear them! Next post we’ll be talking about Hades, brother of Zeus and Lord of the Underworld.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Intro to Greek Mythology
If you’re from North America, you’re probably at least passingly familiar with Greek mythology. The influence Greek culture has had upon the world, but notably North America, is fascinating. We have been inspired by Greek architecture, sculpture, politics, drama...the list goes on. Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that the names of the Greek gods and demigods are familiar to us. I grew up watching the Ray Harryhausen movies with my dad; to this day, Jason and the Argonauts is one of my favorite movies. More recently, Clash of the Titans was remade with Liam Neeson as a glorious Zeus. 300 brought the Spartans of Greece to the big screen. Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series introduced Greek mythology to a new generation. Troy showed part of the story of the Iliad.
Despite the saturation of our culture by Greek mythology, not everyone knows all of the pantheon. Beyond the pantheon lie the innumerable demigods, who are as important to the myths as the gods are. That having been said, lets take a look at some of the major players in the Greek myths.
First and most important is Zeus. Zeus is king of the gods. He rules over the skies and is responsible for lightning and thunder. Zeus is to blame for a ton of the demigods that are born, since he is incapable of staying faithful to his wife, Hera - who is, ironically, the goddess of marriage.
Also important is Hades, god of the dead. He is Zeus’ brother, and arguably is more important, since he rules over all those who have ever died. The Greeks rarely talked about Hades, since death was something they feared, but he is never depicted as evil. Hades had a job to do, and he got it done, however unpleasant the task was.
Greek mythology is interesting in that it has a female goddess of war - Athena. This is intriguing because Greek women were afforded very few rights, and certainly could not go off to battle - but apparently the same rules did not apply to this goddess. Athena shares the reign of war with the male god Ares, but each represents a different aspect of battle. Ares rules over ruthless, brutal war, whereas Athena represents intelligent, tactical warfare. She is also the goddess of wisdom, and one of the goddesses of virgins.
There are other members of the pantheon that we’ll talk about in future posts, but for now I’d like to focus on the demigods. Demigods are the children of a god and a mortal, and are the heroes of the Greek myths. They slay monsters, save damsels, and often face tragedy in their lives. They occupy almost as many of the myths as the gods do. The Greeks named a lot of their constellations after these demigods and their stories. If a demigod’s father is Zeus, a jealous Hera almost always tries to make their life a living hell.
Perhaps the most famous demigod is Achilles, for whom a part of our heel is named. The son of a minor sea goddess and a mortal, Achilles was the hero of the Iliad, a written account by Homer of the oral stories of the Trojan War. If you’ve seen the movie Troy, let me tell you that Brad Pitt is not nearly whiny enough for the role of Achilles. Seriously. The “hero” of the Iliad is more whiny than Luke in the first Star Wars! Whiny, emo Anakin Skywalker comes close, but still falls short of Achilles.
We’ll talk more about these characters and more in later posts. For now, please put questions or comments below, and feel free to email me! Next post I’ll be talking about Zeus, and his inability to not sleep with a pretty lady.
Despite the saturation of our culture by Greek mythology, not everyone knows all of the pantheon. Beyond the pantheon lie the innumerable demigods, who are as important to the myths as the gods are. That having been said, lets take a look at some of the major players in the Greek myths.
First and most important is Zeus. Zeus is king of the gods. He rules over the skies and is responsible for lightning and thunder. Zeus is to blame for a ton of the demigods that are born, since he is incapable of staying faithful to his wife, Hera - who is, ironically, the goddess of marriage.
Also important is Hades, god of the dead. He is Zeus’ brother, and arguably is more important, since he rules over all those who have ever died. The Greeks rarely talked about Hades, since death was something they feared, but he is never depicted as evil. Hades had a job to do, and he got it done, however unpleasant the task was.
Greek mythology is interesting in that it has a female goddess of war - Athena. This is intriguing because Greek women were afforded very few rights, and certainly could not go off to battle - but apparently the same rules did not apply to this goddess. Athena shares the reign of war with the male god Ares, but each represents a different aspect of battle. Ares rules over ruthless, brutal war, whereas Athena represents intelligent, tactical warfare. She is also the goddess of wisdom, and one of the goddesses of virgins.
There are other members of the pantheon that we’ll talk about in future posts, but for now I’d like to focus on the demigods. Demigods are the children of a god and a mortal, and are the heroes of the Greek myths. They slay monsters, save damsels, and often face tragedy in their lives. They occupy almost as many of the myths as the gods do. The Greeks named a lot of their constellations after these demigods and their stories. If a demigod’s father is Zeus, a jealous Hera almost always tries to make their life a living hell.
Perhaps the most famous demigod is Achilles, for whom a part of our heel is named. The son of a minor sea goddess and a mortal, Achilles was the hero of the Iliad, a written account by Homer of the oral stories of the Trojan War. If you’ve seen the movie Troy, let me tell you that Brad Pitt is not nearly whiny enough for the role of Achilles. Seriously. The “hero” of the Iliad is more whiny than Luke in the first Star Wars! Whiny, emo Anakin Skywalker comes close, but still falls short of Achilles.
We’ll talk more about these characters and more in later posts. For now, please put questions or comments below, and feel free to email me! Next post I’ll be talking about Zeus, and his inability to not sleep with a pretty lady.
Fate: An Overarching Theme
Fate is an underlying theme throughout most of Norse mythology (yes, it is both overarching and underlying). Ragnarok is prophesized by Odin for ages before it happens. The Norns, whose name literally means “Fate”, spin the fate of the universe. Minor events in stories come to have huge consequences during Ragnarok.
There are two examples I can think of in modern pop culture that come close to how fate affected the Norse myths. The first is the book series The Dresden Files. Jim Butcher (the author) has done a masterful job of weaving plot threads together throughout the fifteen books currently in the series (there are another five planned.) A minor character in one book might become a huge villain six books later; a one-liner dropped early on in the series might foreshadow highly important events later in the series. This is what the Norse did when they wove their mythology; every little detail counts.
The second modern example is a season of a TV show. Take the second season of Arrow. A character shows up in the first couple of episodes, but seems unimportant. A minor bad guy who isn’t totally evil appears a couple of times. The main character gets a new love interest. Then, suddenly, the last episode comes upon you and BAM! you find out it’s all connected. The minor character tries to blow up the city, the somewhat villainous guy teams up with the heroes to stop her, the love interest turns out to have been working with the Big Bad all along...you needed all of the episodes before the finale to introduce the players, but it is only after the finale that you can look back and see how everything led up to the final event.
The same is true of Norse mythology. Many of the earlier myths set the stage for Ragnarok. We’ve talked in pervious posts about Hel and her banishment to Niflheim. This banishment made her queen of the dead - and during Ragnarok, she led an army of these dead against the gods. Without her banishment she would have had no army to give to Loki.
The story of the imprisonment of Hel’s brother, Fenrir, is another example. The gods tricked Fenrir by telling him he was so strong he could break any chains they put on him. Fenrir agreed to test this claim, provided that one of the gods, Tyr, put his hand in Fenrir’s mouth as collateral. If you read the post about Loki, you’ll remember that Fenrir is a giant wolf. Tyr bravely agreed, and the gods chained Fenrir with a magical set of links. When the wolf could not break free he bit off Tyr’s hand as revenge. During Ragnarok, Tyr is killed by Garm because he was weakened by the loss of his hand.
One last example is the death of the god Frey. Early on in the myths of Asgard, Frey traded his sword to be able to marry the woman he loved. With his sword he would have been able to defeat Surt, the fire giant, during Ragnarok - but without it he was crushed in battle, and Asgard fell.
All of these events led to the Doom of the gods, and all of these events were fated to happen. This shows that even the gods, infinitely more powerful than humans, are still subject to fate. Despite his foresight, Odin could do nothing to stop the events of Ragnarok. Despite all of his knowledge, he died as he had always known he would.
What, then, was the point of his foresight? If fate could not be changed, why warn others about Ragnarok? I don’t know, but it’s interesting to ponder. Was Odin’s knowledge of Ragnarok a tool used by Norse storytellers, designed to foreshadow coming events in a tale and keep their audience hooked? Or was it a cautionary tale to mankind? After all, if even the gods cannot fight fate, why should mankind bother to try?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, so please comment below or email me. For now I’m done with Norse mythology - next post I’ll start looking at the Greek myths. I’ll see you guys then!
There are two examples I can think of in modern pop culture that come close to how fate affected the Norse myths. The first is the book series The Dresden Files. Jim Butcher (the author) has done a masterful job of weaving plot threads together throughout the fifteen books currently in the series (there are another five planned.) A minor character in one book might become a huge villain six books later; a one-liner dropped early on in the series might foreshadow highly important events later in the series. This is what the Norse did when they wove their mythology; every little detail counts.
The second modern example is a season of a TV show. Take the second season of Arrow. A character shows up in the first couple of episodes, but seems unimportant. A minor bad guy who isn’t totally evil appears a couple of times. The main character gets a new love interest. Then, suddenly, the last episode comes upon you and BAM! you find out it’s all connected. The minor character tries to blow up the city, the somewhat villainous guy teams up with the heroes to stop her, the love interest turns out to have been working with the Big Bad all along...you needed all of the episodes before the finale to introduce the players, but it is only after the finale that you can look back and see how everything led up to the final event.
The same is true of Norse mythology. Many of the earlier myths set the stage for Ragnarok. We’ve talked in pervious posts about Hel and her banishment to Niflheim. This banishment made her queen of the dead - and during Ragnarok, she led an army of these dead against the gods. Without her banishment she would have had no army to give to Loki.
The story of the imprisonment of Hel’s brother, Fenrir, is another example. The gods tricked Fenrir by telling him he was so strong he could break any chains they put on him. Fenrir agreed to test this claim, provided that one of the gods, Tyr, put his hand in Fenrir’s mouth as collateral. If you read the post about Loki, you’ll remember that Fenrir is a giant wolf. Tyr bravely agreed, and the gods chained Fenrir with a magical set of links. When the wolf could not break free he bit off Tyr’s hand as revenge. During Ragnarok, Tyr is killed by Garm because he was weakened by the loss of his hand.
One last example is the death of the god Frey. Early on in the myths of Asgard, Frey traded his sword to be able to marry the woman he loved. With his sword he would have been able to defeat Surt, the fire giant, during Ragnarok - but without it he was crushed in battle, and Asgard fell.
All of these events led to the Doom of the gods, and all of these events were fated to happen. This shows that even the gods, infinitely more powerful than humans, are still subject to fate. Despite his foresight, Odin could do nothing to stop the events of Ragnarok. Despite all of his knowledge, he died as he had always known he would.
What, then, was the point of his foresight? If fate could not be changed, why warn others about Ragnarok? I don’t know, but it’s interesting to ponder. Was Odin’s knowledge of Ragnarok a tool used by Norse storytellers, designed to foreshadow coming events in a tale and keep their audience hooked? Or was it a cautionary tale to mankind? After all, if even the gods cannot fight fate, why should mankind bother to try?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, so please comment below or email me. For now I’m done with Norse mythology - next post I’ll start looking at the Greek myths. I’ll see you guys then!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Ragnarok: The Parts They Play
Most of the characters I’ll be mentioning in this post have already been introduced in my previous posts. And now that I’ve talked with you about all of these fabulous characters, let’s kill them off! Well, alright, not all of them. Just Loki, Odin, Thor, and most of the rest of the pantheon. Oh, and humanity, of course!
Ragnarok is said to first be experienced by the humans, because they experience three years during which the whole world is at war. After the war will come a Fimbul winter, which is about as long as a winter in Game of Thrones. The evil wolves Skoll and Hati catch and eat the Sun and Moon, both of which are gods. After this the stars fall from the sky, leaving total darkness.
The World Tree Yggdrasil soon begins to shake, causing massive earthquakes. These quakes set Loki free from his imprisonment, along with his wolf son, Fenrir, and Garm, the hound of Hel. Three massive roosters crow to alert the gods, the giants, and the dead that Ragnarok has come.
While the gods and the Einherjar, the valiant dead warriors who dwell in Valhalla, prepare for battle, Odin goes to consult Mimir. The Norns meet him there, their thread of life torn apart. No one knows what Mimir says to Odin, but he returns with a grim face and leads his army to war.
But who are they fighting, you might ask? Their foe is an army of the evil dead from Hel, led by Loki and his children, along with a creature named Surt, who is a fire god or fire giant depending on the text.
The two armies meet on the plains of Vigrid. Odin is quickly killed by Fenrir, who is then slain by one of Odin’s sons. Jormungand, who has broken free, is killed by Thor, who dies of the serpent’s venom. Loki and Heimdall, the watchman of the gods, kill each other. Tyr, a god who had lost one hand when Fenrir was being imprisoned, kills Garm but is in turn slain by him. Frey, a fertility god, fights Surt and is killed by the fire giant. With all of his foes defeated, Surt then sets the nine realms on fire, ultimately destroying them and himself.
So basically, the world ends in fire and in darkness - and not just our world, but all of the worlds. Super depressing, right?
Luckily for, well, everyone, there is a rebirth after all of this. The Sun had given birth to a daughter before her death, who takes her place as a new Sun. Thor’s two sons survive, as do other gods, including some of Odin’s brothers. From out of the ruins of Yggdrasil step a human man and woman, who were sheltered by the Tree. These survivors repopulate Asgard and Midgard. The forces of darkness had been slain during Ragnarok, so evil does not plague them now.
And that, my dear readers, is Ragnarok and its aftermath. Still depressing that just about everyone died, but at least there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
My next post will wrap up our discussion of Norse mythology for now, and then we move on to more familiar territory - Greek mythology! You know the drill: questions or comments can go below or be emailed to me. I’ll see you guys at the next post!
Ragnarok is said to first be experienced by the humans, because they experience three years during which the whole world is at war. After the war will come a Fimbul winter, which is about as long as a winter in Game of Thrones. The evil wolves Skoll and Hati catch and eat the Sun and Moon, both of which are gods. After this the stars fall from the sky, leaving total darkness.
The World Tree Yggdrasil soon begins to shake, causing massive earthquakes. These quakes set Loki free from his imprisonment, along with his wolf son, Fenrir, and Garm, the hound of Hel. Three massive roosters crow to alert the gods, the giants, and the dead that Ragnarok has come.
While the gods and the Einherjar, the valiant dead warriors who dwell in Valhalla, prepare for battle, Odin goes to consult Mimir. The Norns meet him there, their thread of life torn apart. No one knows what Mimir says to Odin, but he returns with a grim face and leads his army to war.
But who are they fighting, you might ask? Their foe is an army of the evil dead from Hel, led by Loki and his children, along with a creature named Surt, who is a fire god or fire giant depending on the text.
The two armies meet on the plains of Vigrid. Odin is quickly killed by Fenrir, who is then slain by one of Odin’s sons. Jormungand, who has broken free, is killed by Thor, who dies of the serpent’s venom. Loki and Heimdall, the watchman of the gods, kill each other. Tyr, a god who had lost one hand when Fenrir was being imprisoned, kills Garm but is in turn slain by him. Frey, a fertility god, fights Surt and is killed by the fire giant. With all of his foes defeated, Surt then sets the nine realms on fire, ultimately destroying them and himself.
So basically, the world ends in fire and in darkness - and not just our world, but all of the worlds. Super depressing, right?
Luckily for, well, everyone, there is a rebirth after all of this. The Sun had given birth to a daughter before her death, who takes her place as a new Sun. Thor’s two sons survive, as do other gods, including some of Odin’s brothers. From out of the ruins of Yggdrasil step a human man and woman, who were sheltered by the Tree. These survivors repopulate Asgard and Midgard. The forces of darkness had been slain during Ragnarok, so evil does not plague them now.
And that, my dear readers, is Ragnarok and its aftermath. Still depressing that just about everyone died, but at least there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
My next post will wrap up our discussion of Norse mythology for now, and then we move on to more familiar territory - Greek mythology! You know the drill: questions or comments can go below or be emailed to me. I’ll see you guys at the next post!
Friday, November 14, 2014
Odin: All-Seeing, All-Knowing...Allfather
Odin is the god of a lot of different things, not all of which seem to go together. For example, he is a god of war, of the sky, of death...and of poetry. I guess all those other things would provide material for poems, right? Odin is considered the father of all gods (hence the name Allfather). His wife is named Frigg, and two of his sons are Thor and Balder, although there are others.
If you’ve seen pictures of Odin, or seen him in a certain movie or two, you’ve probably noticed that he wears an eyepatch. Sadly, as far as I know Odin is not a god of pirates. Nor was his eye lost in a glorious battle against the frost giants. Instead, Odin voluntarily gave his eye to a being named Mimir.
I talked about the wells that water Yggdrasil in my last post. If you remember, one of the wells was kept by a being named Mimir I promised to talk about in this post. Mimir was a god that was sent to an opposing army as part of a hostage exchange. He ended up getting his head cut off. The severed head was then sent back to Odin, who preserved the head, allowing it to speak. Anyone else having creepy flashbacks to the Governor and Woodbury? Yeesh.
Anyway, Mimir was a very wise god, and he imparted his wisdom to Odin whenever asked. This wasn’t enough for Odin, though, so he traded one of his eyes to Mimir in exchange for possessing the knowledge himself. Odin’s eye is somehow placed at the bottom of the well by Mimir (seriously, how does a body-less head do that? And why?), making me NEVER want to drink from it.
So now you know that Odin is not a pirate (sorry to crush your hopes and dreams.) He does, however, have some awesome animal companions (no, not a parrot. Sorry again.) We’ve previously discussed Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse whose mother was Loki. Odin also has two wolves named Geri and Freki.
Because of this, Norse warriors believed a wolf on the battlefield to be a good sign from Odin. He also had two raven companions named Hugin and Munin, who flew around the world gathering information for him. This is yet another instance where Marvel got it right. My favorite scene from the Avengers (which is saying a lot) is when Thor kidnaps Loki from the plane and is talking with him. At the start of their conversation, two ravens can be seen flying past. SO cool.
Odin can often be found wandering Midgard (i.e., Earth) in various myths. He always wears a cloak and wide-brimmed hat when he does so, and frequently offers his aid to mortal heroes.
In fact, Odin is often seen as a benefactor to humans. He welcomes slain heroes in his palace of Valhalla, where he feasts them until the day of Ragnarok; he provided knowledge of runes to mankind; it was because of him that mead which grants the gift of poetry was spilled on Midgard, allowing humans to become poets.
Odin was a wise and just king who was kind to his subjects and ruled well. Unfortunately, his reign was not to last, for the Doom of the gods was fast approaching. Next time we’ll be talking about Ragnarok, so come prepared for a depressing post. As always, leave your questions and comments below, or feel free to email me. Until next time!
If you’ve seen pictures of Odin, or seen him in a certain movie or two, you’ve probably noticed that he wears an eyepatch. Sadly, as far as I know Odin is not a god of pirates. Nor was his eye lost in a glorious battle against the frost giants. Instead, Odin voluntarily gave his eye to a being named Mimir.
I talked about the wells that water Yggdrasil in my last post. If you remember, one of the wells was kept by a being named Mimir I promised to talk about in this post. Mimir was a god that was sent to an opposing army as part of a hostage exchange. He ended up getting his head cut off. The severed head was then sent back to Odin, who preserved the head, allowing it to speak. Anyone else having creepy flashbacks to the Governor and Woodbury? Yeesh.
Anyway, Mimir was a very wise god, and he imparted his wisdom to Odin whenever asked. This wasn’t enough for Odin, though, so he traded one of his eyes to Mimir in exchange for possessing the knowledge himself. Odin’s eye is somehow placed at the bottom of the well by Mimir (seriously, how does a body-less head do that? And why?), making me NEVER want to drink from it.
So now you know that Odin is not a pirate (sorry to crush your hopes and dreams.) He does, however, have some awesome animal companions (no, not a parrot. Sorry again.) We’ve previously discussed Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse whose mother was Loki. Odin also has two wolves named Geri and Freki.
Because of this, Norse warriors believed a wolf on the battlefield to be a good sign from Odin. He also had two raven companions named Hugin and Munin, who flew around the world gathering information for him. This is yet another instance where Marvel got it right. My favorite scene from the Avengers (which is saying a lot) is when Thor kidnaps Loki from the plane and is talking with him. At the start of their conversation, two ravens can be seen flying past. SO cool.
Odin can often be found wandering Midgard (i.e., Earth) in various myths. He always wears a cloak and wide-brimmed hat when he does so, and frequently offers his aid to mortal heroes.
In fact, Odin is often seen as a benefactor to humans. He welcomes slain heroes in his palace of Valhalla, where he feasts them until the day of Ragnarok; he provided knowledge of runes to mankind; it was because of him that mead which grants the gift of poetry was spilled on Midgard, allowing humans to become poets.
Odin was a wise and just king who was kind to his subjects and ruled well. Unfortunately, his reign was not to last, for the Doom of the gods was fast approaching. Next time we’ll be talking about Ragnarok, so come prepared for a depressing post. As always, leave your questions and comments below, or feel free to email me. Until next time!
Monday, November 10, 2014
The Norns: Spinners of Time
The Norns are some of the more interesting characters in Norse mythology, and their home is as fascinating as they are. I’ve talked before about Yggdrasil and the nine realms that lie within its boughs - but trees have more than just branches. They also have roots. Yggdrasil is said to have three roots, with one well to water it at each root. One well is kept by a wise being named Mimir that I’ll talk about when we discuss Odin. The second well lies in the Kingdom of Hel, and a dragon named Nithog constantly chews at the root by the well. Nithog frequently exchanges insults with an eagle that sits in the top branches of Yggdrasil, both of whom use a squirrel as their messenger.
The third well of Yggdrasil is called Urdarbrunn, and it is tended by the Norns. The waters of this well are sacred, used to preserve and protect the Tree from harm.
Now that you know about their home, lets talk about the Norns. Their name means “Fate”, and they are highly similar to characters from Greek, Roman, and Celtic mythology. While these characters are often represented by a Maiden, Mother, and Crone, the Norns are three sisters.
The oldest sister is named Urd, which means “that which has been”. Verdandi, the middle sister, means “that which is”, and Skuld, the youngest, means “that which will be”. Together they represent the Past, Present, and Future. Often said to be giants, some tales claim that time did not exist before the Norns began their task - spinning.
If you’re picturing the creepy ladies with the thread and scissors from Disney’s Hercules, you’re on the right track. Like the Greek Morai, which means “Fates”, the Norns spin a thread for the life of every living being. Sometimes they are depicted as weaving the threads of life, but more often they are simply spinners.
What makes the Norns so fascinating compared to their counterparts from other mythologies is whose thread they spin. Every living creature has a thread, including men, giants...and the gods. The gods are thus not immune to death, and will ultimately perish along with man.
Technically speaking, that makes the Norns more powerful than the gods. They are the ones who will ultimately cut the thread of a god’s life and end it. They are the ones who handle both time and fate, and thus hold the destiny of the universe in their hands.
Little bit creepy, right? Aren’t you glad the Norns are impartial and not prone to holding grudges? Otherwise, *snip snip* and you’re dead!
That’s all I’ve got about the Norns for now. We’ll talk a little bit more about them when I talk about the role of fate in Norse mythology, but in my next post I want to discuss Odin. About time, right? It’s not like he’s an important character or anything!
Anyhoo, feel free to post below or email me with questions or comments. If you want to know about the Allfather, stay tuned for next time!
The third well of Yggdrasil is called Urdarbrunn, and it is tended by the Norns. The waters of this well are sacred, used to preserve and protect the Tree from harm.
Now that you know about their home, lets talk about the Norns. Their name means “Fate”, and they are highly similar to characters from Greek, Roman, and Celtic mythology. While these characters are often represented by a Maiden, Mother, and Crone, the Norns are three sisters.
The oldest sister is named Urd, which means “that which has been”. Verdandi, the middle sister, means “that which is”, and Skuld, the youngest, means “that which will be”. Together they represent the Past, Present, and Future. Often said to be giants, some tales claim that time did not exist before the Norns began their task - spinning.
If you’re picturing the creepy ladies with the thread and scissors from Disney’s Hercules, you’re on the right track. Like the Greek Morai, which means “Fates”, the Norns spin a thread for the life of every living being. Sometimes they are depicted as weaving the threads of life, but more often they are simply spinners.
What makes the Norns so fascinating compared to their counterparts from other mythologies is whose thread they spin. Every living creature has a thread, including men, giants...and the gods. The gods are thus not immune to death, and will ultimately perish along with man.
Technically speaking, that makes the Norns more powerful than the gods. They are the ones who will ultimately cut the thread of a god’s life and end it. They are the ones who handle both time and fate, and thus hold the destiny of the universe in their hands.
Little bit creepy, right? Aren’t you glad the Norns are impartial and not prone to holding grudges? Otherwise, *snip snip* and you’re dead!
That’s all I’ve got about the Norns for now. We’ll talk a little bit more about them when I talk about the role of fate in Norse mythology, but in my next post I want to discuss Odin. About time, right? It’s not like he’s an important character or anything!
Anyhoo, feel free to post below or email me with questions or comments. If you want to know about the Allfather, stay tuned for next time!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Thor: Comic Relief
If you’ve heard much about Norse mythology before reading this, Thor is probably the name you’re most familiar with. After all, he’s strong, handsome, intelligent - everything the main character of Norse mythology should be...right?
Wrong, actually! Well, alright, you were right about the handsome part. But Thor’s strength actually comes from some gloves and a belt he has. As my father might say, Thor is not the brightest torch in the sconce. And outside of his own tales, Thor isn’t even the main character - Odin is!
Most of the stories that Thor appears in involve the setup of some outrageous event centering around Thor. Loki is often a part of this event, and Thor inevitably storms after him with a thundering temper - ok, sorry, puns are done for now. But it’s appropriate, since stories centering on Thor are generally comedic. It’s normally only in the stories in which Thor is presented as a secondary character that the god of thunder is shown to be serious and mature.
Given our dark topic of Hel last post, and with a post about Ragnarok approaching soon, I thought you guys deserved a more light-hearted topic. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few of the more comical stories about Thor.
First of all, Thor has a chariot pulled by two billy goats. Yes. Goats. These goats are called Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, and they haul his chariot into battle. I guess that’s one way to strike terror into the hearts of your enemies? Interestingly, Thor is not the only god to have a chariot pulled by strange animals. Freya, a goddess of love and of battle, has a chariot that is pulled by two giant cats.
Last post I talked a little about Jormungand, the giant serpent who was imprisoned after a prophecy of his role in Ragnarok. Jormungand makes an appearance in one of Thor’s silly stories, where the god of thunder goes fishing. Thor deliberately tries to fish up Jormungand in order to fight him, using the head of a steer as bait. Thor succeeds in baiting Jormungand and pulling him to the surface. Luckily for the world, Thor’s fishing companion cuts the line before the apocalyptic fight can ensue, sending Jormungand back to the depths.
Not silly enough for you? Don’t worry, I think this one will be. While there are many other stories, this is my favorite.
Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, was used to defend Asgard’s borders against any giants that sought to attack the gods. One morning he woke up to discover it was missing. For once Loki was not to blame, and helped find the person responsible for the theft - Thrym, king of the frost giants. Thrym agreed to give Mjolnir back to Thor in exchange for marrying the goddess Freya. Freya refused to wed him, so the gods gathered in council to figure out what to do. One of the gods suggested sending Thor to Thrym...disguised as Freya in a wedding gown.
Somehow Thor was talked into this (and out of murdering the god who voiced the idea). He was garbed in a wedding dress and veil, and draped in jewelry. Loki was disguised as his bridesmaid. The duo then went to Thrym, fooled him into thinking Thor was Freya, and were given back Mjolnir...which Thor then used to slay every giant he could find.
Just in case you can’t quite visualize this, picture Chris Hemsworth, with a really bushy beard, wearing drag.
Assuming you’re still able to read through the laughter, I’m going to leave you with that. I hope you had a thundering good time (sorry, sorry)! Feel free to comment, email me, or petition Marvel to include Thor’s cross-dressing adventures in a future Avengers. Stay tuned! Next post I’ll be talking about the curious beings called the Norns.
Wrong, actually! Well, alright, you were right about the handsome part. But Thor’s strength actually comes from some gloves and a belt he has. As my father might say, Thor is not the brightest torch in the sconce. And outside of his own tales, Thor isn’t even the main character - Odin is!
Most of the stories that Thor appears in involve the setup of some outrageous event centering around Thor. Loki is often a part of this event, and Thor inevitably storms after him with a thundering temper - ok, sorry, puns are done for now. But it’s appropriate, since stories centering on Thor are generally comedic. It’s normally only in the stories in which Thor is presented as a secondary character that the god of thunder is shown to be serious and mature.
Given our dark topic of Hel last post, and with a post about Ragnarok approaching soon, I thought you guys deserved a more light-hearted topic. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few of the more comical stories about Thor.
First of all, Thor has a chariot pulled by two billy goats. Yes. Goats. These goats are called Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, and they haul his chariot into battle. I guess that’s one way to strike terror into the hearts of your enemies? Interestingly, Thor is not the only god to have a chariot pulled by strange animals. Freya, a goddess of love and of battle, has a chariot that is pulled by two giant cats.
Last post I talked a little about Jormungand, the giant serpent who was imprisoned after a prophecy of his role in Ragnarok. Jormungand makes an appearance in one of Thor’s silly stories, where the god of thunder goes fishing. Thor deliberately tries to fish up Jormungand in order to fight him, using the head of a steer as bait. Thor succeeds in baiting Jormungand and pulling him to the surface. Luckily for the world, Thor’s fishing companion cuts the line before the apocalyptic fight can ensue, sending Jormungand back to the depths.
Not silly enough for you? Don’t worry, I think this one will be. While there are many other stories, this is my favorite.
Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, was used to defend Asgard’s borders against any giants that sought to attack the gods. One morning he woke up to discover it was missing. For once Loki was not to blame, and helped find the person responsible for the theft - Thrym, king of the frost giants. Thrym agreed to give Mjolnir back to Thor in exchange for marrying the goddess Freya. Freya refused to wed him, so the gods gathered in council to figure out what to do. One of the gods suggested sending Thor to Thrym...disguised as Freya in a wedding gown.
Somehow Thor was talked into this (and out of murdering the god who voiced the idea). He was garbed in a wedding dress and veil, and draped in jewelry. Loki was disguised as his bridesmaid. The duo then went to Thrym, fooled him into thinking Thor was Freya, and were given back Mjolnir...which Thor then used to slay every giant he could find.
Just in case you can’t quite visualize this, picture Chris Hemsworth, with a really bushy beard, wearing drag.
Assuming you’re still able to read through the laughter, I’m going to leave you with that. I hope you had a thundering good time (sorry, sorry)! Feel free to comment, email me, or petition Marvel to include Thor’s cross-dressing adventures in a future Avengers. Stay tuned! Next post I’ll be talking about the curious beings called the Norns.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Hel^2: A Person and a Place
In my last post I talked about Loki, and I mentioned that he had a daughter named Hel. As you probably figured out, Hel is not the most wonderful person - but to understand her, you first need a bit of backstory.
Loki actually had a total of six children. Two were born by his Asgardian wife, Sigyn, but they both end up dead. The important four children are Sleipnir, Jormungand, Fenrir, and Hel. Sleipnir is an eight-legged horse borne by Loki after he turned himself into an attractive mare to distract a horse (don’t ask.) The fastest of all horses, Sleipnir became the mount of Odin, king of the gods. My favorite part from the first Thor movie is when Odin comes to save Thor and his friends from the frost giants. If you look closely, the horse he’s on has eight legs! I love it when Marvel gets it right!
Loki’s other three children come from worse parentage (than a horse. Seriously.) They were borne by the ogress Angrboda, whose name translates to “bringer of distress”. Given that all three of her children play a huge role in Ragnarok, I would say she was aptly named!
The gods apparently agree with me on that point. Having received a prophecy saying that the three kids spell disaster, the gods lock them all away. Jormungand, a GIANT serpent, is forced to bite his own tail and is thrown into the ocean or river that surrounds the world. Fenrir, a less big but still giant wolf, is chained to a rock - which leaves Loki's final child, Hel.
Loki’s other two children by Angrboda each had a monstrous quality to them, and Hel is no different. Possessing the body of a woman, half of her is said to be beautiful, the other half dead. Depictions of her in artwork often show half her face as missing skin, or being full out skeletal. Odin’s punishment of her differs from that of her brothers in that she is banished to a portion of one of the realms we haven't discussed, Niflheim...and made its Queen. The area later becomes known as the Kingdom of Hel, or simply Hel.
There were two regions to the Norse afterlife. To counter the depressing-ness of Hel, which I’ll cover in a moment, was Valhalla. Valhalla was located in Asgard, and it translates to the “hall of the slain”. Warriors who were slain in battle were carried there by beautiful warrior women called Valkyries. These women would then don dresses and serve the men food and drink until Ragnarok. Rough life...er, death, right?
Hel was for those who did not die valiantly. Accounts list it as being the afterlife for those who die of sickness or of old age, and for those who are evil or oath-breakers. The Kingdom of Hel is said to be guarded by a fearsome hound named Garm, which presents an interesting parallel to the Greek Cerberus. A river within Hel is said to be full of not water, but swords, knives and daggers that the dead must wade through. Murderers, oath-breakers, adulterers, and people who talk in movie theaters are imprisoned in a building whose walls and roof are made of woven snakes who constantly drip poisonous venom....
You get the idea, right? Hel is not a fun place.
Interestingly enough, Hel the person is not depicted as outright evil. Last post I talked about how she offered to bring Balder back to life if everything wept for him, rather than refusing to offer even that slim chance. However, regardless of whether Hel is an evil person, she and her kingdom will play an important part in Ragnarok.
There you have a brief introduction to Hel!...and to Hel. Comments? Questions? Feel free to post below, or to email me! Want to know more? I’ve got some great books listed on my first post. Stay tuned for more stories from Norse mythology, including a look at Thor!
Loki actually had a total of six children. Two were born by his Asgardian wife, Sigyn, but they both end up dead. The important four children are Sleipnir, Jormungand, Fenrir, and Hel. Sleipnir is an eight-legged horse borne by Loki after he turned himself into an attractive mare to distract a horse (don’t ask.) The fastest of all horses, Sleipnir became the mount of Odin, king of the gods. My favorite part from the first Thor movie is when Odin comes to save Thor and his friends from the frost giants. If you look closely, the horse he’s on has eight legs! I love it when Marvel gets it right!
Loki’s other three children come from worse parentage (than a horse. Seriously.) They were borne by the ogress Angrboda, whose name translates to “bringer of distress”. Given that all three of her children play a huge role in Ragnarok, I would say she was aptly named!
The gods apparently agree with me on that point. Having received a prophecy saying that the three kids spell disaster, the gods lock them all away. Jormungand, a GIANT serpent, is forced to bite his own tail and is thrown into the ocean or river that surrounds the world. Fenrir, a less big but still giant wolf, is chained to a rock - which leaves Loki's final child, Hel.
Loki’s other two children by Angrboda each had a monstrous quality to them, and Hel is no different. Possessing the body of a woman, half of her is said to be beautiful, the other half dead. Depictions of her in artwork often show half her face as missing skin, or being full out skeletal. Odin’s punishment of her differs from that of her brothers in that she is banished to a portion of one of the realms we haven't discussed, Niflheim...and made its Queen. The area later becomes known as the Kingdom of Hel, or simply Hel.
There were two regions to the Norse afterlife. To counter the depressing-ness of Hel, which I’ll cover in a moment, was Valhalla. Valhalla was located in Asgard, and it translates to the “hall of the slain”. Warriors who were slain in battle were carried there by beautiful warrior women called Valkyries. These women would then don dresses and serve the men food and drink until Ragnarok. Rough life...er, death, right?
Hel was for those who did not die valiantly. Accounts list it as being the afterlife for those who die of sickness or of old age, and for those who are evil or oath-breakers. The Kingdom of Hel is said to be guarded by a fearsome hound named Garm, which presents an interesting parallel to the Greek Cerberus. A river within Hel is said to be full of not water, but swords, knives and daggers that the dead must wade through. Murderers, oath-breakers, adulterers, and people who talk in movie theaters are imprisoned in a building whose walls and roof are made of woven snakes who constantly drip poisonous venom....
You get the idea, right? Hel is not a fun place.
Interestingly enough, Hel the person is not depicted as outright evil. Last post I talked about how she offered to bring Balder back to life if everything wept for him, rather than refusing to offer even that slim chance. However, regardless of whether Hel is an evil person, she and her kingdom will play an important part in Ragnarok.
There you have a brief introduction to Hel!...and to Hel. Comments? Questions? Feel free to post below, or to email me! Want to know more? I’ve got some great books listed on my first post. Stay tuned for more stories from Norse mythology, including a look at Thor!
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