Morwen
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Join date : 2014-05-18
Age : 45
Location : Virginia
 | | Subject: Gods/goddesses Tue May 20, 2014 11:33 pm | |
| Sun and Moon
Sun Moon
Viking name Sol Mani
Saxon name Sunne Mona
Day of the week Sunday Monday
When Odin made Middle Earth, he set the Sun and the Moon in the sky. The Sun is a girl and the Moon a boy, and they drive their chariots drawn by swift horses across the sky each day. They are chased by wolves. At Ragnarok, the end of the worlds, the wolves will catch the Sun and Moon, and there will be no more day and night. On the left, a Viking carved cross on the Isle of Man shows the two wolves looking hungrily at the symbol at the top, which must be the sun.
Perhaps the Vikings and Saxons thought that the wolf nibbled away at the moon each month, but then he escaped and regrew. They would be very frightened at an eclipse of the Sun, since it might be the start of Ragnarok!
Tyr and the wolf Fenrir
Title: God of War
Viking name: Tyr
Saxon name: Tiu
Relations: Son of Odin
Day of week: Tuesday
Loki had many horrible children, and the most terrible was the wolf Fenrir. It grew up in Asgard, but it became huge and fierce. When the wolf opened its mouth, its jaws stretched from sky to earth. Only Tyr was brave enough to feed it.
The gods were frightened of Fenrir, so they decided to chain it. They got the dwarves to make a magic chain, made of secret things like the noise of a moving cat, the roots of a mountain and the breath of a fish. It seemed like a cord made of silk, but nothing could break it.
The wolf was suspicious, and wouldn't allow anyone to go near it, unless Tyr, the only god it trusted, put his hand in the wolf's mouth. The gods quickly tied the wolf up. Fenrir snapped shut its mouth in anger, and Tyr's hand was bitten clean off. So Tyr lost his hand, but at least the gods were safe from the wolf. Fenrir will not break free until Ragnarok.
Odin
Title: The Cunning God
Viking name: Odin
Saxon name: Woden or Wotan
Relations: Father of Thor, Tyr and Balder
Day of week: Wednesday
Odin was the chief and father of the gods.He had a wonderful horse called Sleipnir, which had eight legs, and could travel over land and water. He had two ravens, who brought him news from far away.
He was born from Ymir, the creation giant, and made Middle Earth from his body. He also built Asgard. Odin only had one eye. He gave the other for a drink from a spring of water called Mimir, under Yggdrasill, the World Tree. If you drink from the spring, you will get wisdom and understanding. So Odin became the cleverest of the gods. He invented Runes, the secret writing of the Saxons and Vikings, which not only stored knowledge, but could be used for magic.
Thor
Title: The Thunder God
Viking name: Thor
Relations: Son of Thor
Day of week: Thursday
Thor was the Thunder god. His weapon is a hammer. Thor's enemy was the World Serpent, another one of Loki's horrible children. It was an enormous snake which wrapped itself round the whole world, and bit its own tail. Thor meets the serpent three times.
The first time was at a giant's hall. The giant sneered at Thor for being weak, and challenged him to pick up the old cat sitting in front of the fire. Thor, who was the strongest of the gods, grabbed the cat by the middle and tried to lift him. The cat didn't budge. So Thor tried as hard as he could, and managed to lift the cat a few inches from the floor. The giant gasped, and hastily told Thor to drop the cat. It was really the head of the World Serpent in disguise, as big as the world, and Thor had lifted it up.
Another time, another giant and Thor went out fishing in a boat, using an ox's head as bait. The World Serpent took the bait, and Thor nearly hauled it aboard. The frightened giant cut the line, and the World Serpent escaped. These pictures show Thor fishing. On the right, he is pulling up the serpent so hard that his feet have gone through the boat!
The last time Thor and the Serpent will meet is at Ragnarok.
Freya
Title: Goddess of Love
Viking name: Freya
Day of week: Friday
Freya was the most beautiful of the goddesses. She always wore a precious necklace made by the dwarfs.
One day, Thor's hammer was stolen. Loki searched for it, and found that the giant Thrym had hidden the hammer, and refused to give it back unless Freya became his wife. The gods worked out a plan to get the hammer back while keeping Freya safe. Thor was dressed up as a beautiful woman and Freya even lent him her necklace. Thor had a bristling red beard, so he must have looked ridiculous! He was sent to the giant and Loki went with him. At first the giant was worried about his bride's enormous appetite and fierce eyes, but Loki convinced him that it was Freya. Finally, the giant brought out Thor's hammer, and gave it to his new bride. Thor gave an enormous roar, tore off his wedding dress, and killed the giant with his hammer.
***shared from: http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/nordic/index.htm | |
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