The Viking world was full of symbols, many of which have become popular designs for Viking tattoos (I may have one or two). Understanding what common surviving symbols meant to the Vikings and how they were used is a bit like putting together an historical puzzle. We look at archaeological evidence, surviving art, and often…
Title Image: Tin alloy dragon head found in Brika, Sweden, c. 750-900. Source: Science Nordic Dragons are important figures in many mythologies, including Norse. However, understanding Norse dragons can be difficult because almost everything we know about them comes from Christian sources, which project established Christian ideas about the mythical beasts onto the Norse stories.…
The Vikings firmly believed in life after death, as indicated by the elaborate burial practices, which ensured that people were able to take what they needed with them from this life into the next. They also believed in multiple different afterlives, most of which were a reflection of this life. Where you ended up depended…
While Loki is often cast as the major villain in retellings of Norse mythology, it is actually Loki’s children who are some of the most terrifying creatures in Norse tales. The children of Loki with the giantess Angrboda were Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel. These children were feared and persecuted by the Aesir gods, acts that…
Gjallarhorn, meaning “hollering horn,” is in some way one of the best-known mystical objects from Norse mythology. We are told in the story of Ragnarok that Heimdall, the guardian of the Rainbow Bifrost Bridge and the gates of Asgard, will sound Gjallarhorn when he sees the giant hoard approaching Asgard, and it will be heard…
Galdrastafir are magical runic staves found in Icelandic grimoires from the post-Viking age. They include symbols of protection, wayfinding, and revenge. Discover the meaning of some of these important symbols, where they come from, and how they were used. The Vikings believed that the runes were not a created alphabet, but rather a fundamental part…
The people of Europe called the Norsemen “Heathens,” meaning non-Christian, or “Vikings,” meaning pirates. For three centuries, the Vikings terrorized their neighbors in countries such as England and France, attacking communities, looting churches, and kidnapping people to sell on the slave market. While their victims may have considered the Vikings “godless,” they worshiped a complex…
Some of the most interesting characters in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore are not the powerful gods, but rather the creatures who appear to challenge the gods or terrorize men. Read on to meet 15 of the most fascinating or fear-inducing monsters from Norse myth (or check it out on our YouTube channel). Draugr Undead…
Considering the warrior lifestyle of the Vikings, it is no surprise that weapons played an important role in Norse mythology. Almost all the Norse gods had special magical weapons that enhanced their warrior abilities. Here are 10 of the most interesting and powerful mythological weapons wielded by the Norse Gods, according to Norse mythology. 1.…
According to Norse mythology, the cosmos is composed of nine discreet worlds, all of which are held together and connected by Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life. Chief among these worlds, and situated high above the others in the heavens, is Asgard. This is the realm of the Aesir gods, the principal gods in Norse mythology.…