In Norse mythology, Njord is often called the god of the sea, but he was associated with seafaring, sailing, and sea trade. He was not an embodiment of the sea itself. For this more primeval force, we look to the giants Aegir and Ran. Aegir - Personification of the Sea This illustration is from a... Continue Reading →

Considering the harsh conditions in Scandinavia in winter, it is no surprise that the Vikings had a god of winter and skis, who seems to have been worshipped in even pre-Viking times. Ullr, as well as being associated with winter and skiing, was a god of archery, hunting, combat, and also vows. He was clearly... Continue Reading →

Hoenir is one of the more elusive gods in the Norse pantheon, whose story we must piece together from fragments and passing comments. However, the evidence suggests that Hoenir was, in fact, a very important deity, possibly a brother of Odin involved in the creation of the Norse cosmos. Let's take a look at the... Continue Reading →

In Europe, between the 8th and 10th centuries, the Vikings were known to be particularly ferocious warriors, almost impossible to kill. However, among the Vikings themselves, they had their own group of elite warriors, the Berserkers. They formed an elite group of warriors that communed with the spirit of animals before going into battle, which... Continue Reading →

Most cultures believe in some kind of afterlife, but they also believe that people can get trapped between life and death and find themselves among the “living dead” or the “undead”. In the Viking world, the undead were known as draugr, and they feel a bit like a cross between a zombie and a vampire.... Continue Reading →

This is our growing dictionary of Norse mythology, which is added to one a regular basis. Just use the find function to search for what you are interested. You will find links to our full pages on related subjects, and more in-depth discussions of gods and monsters that we don’t have enough information about to... Continue Reading →

Viking mythology focuses on the stories of the gods – the Aesir and Vanir gods – and the jotun – the giants. But they are not the only supernatural beings that feature in Norse myth. There are a great number of supernatural beings that feature in stories who are called alfar, which we translate as... Continue Reading →

The Vikings believed in an afterlife, but what they believed happened to a person after death is complex and often contradictory. Understanding the Norse afterlife is not helped by the fact that much of the information we have about Norse underworlds comes from Christian sources, which try to rationalise pagan Norse traditions within their own... Continue Reading →

The Vikings used a runic alphabet called Younger Futhark. But they believed that words had power, and especially the written word. Therefore they believed that runes could be used to describe the world, but also shape it through magic. It took a rune master to properly utilize the runes, and these were usually men. Women... Continue Reading →

Fate was a powerful concept in Viking culture. The Norsemen believed that the Norns, the Norse Fates, appeared when a baby was born and began their string of fate. The moment their string would be cut was already determined from this moment. The Norns – The Norse Fates In ancient Greece, the fates are known... Continue Reading →