Marriage was an institution that was at the heart of Viking life, so weddings were important events that marked the change in social allegiances and status precipitated by the marriage. The Vikings also had a feasting culture, and feasts were important for solidifying the community. And a wedding was a good excuse for a feast!…
Anyone who is a fan of Viking history and culture will be disappointed that the History Channel’s series Vikings has now come to an end. While the show was never the same after (spoiler alert) the death of Ragnar, it filled a very important Viking-shaped hole in our entertainment. While we have been promised a…
Odin is the All-Father, he is the creator of mankind, and is the father of many of the Aesir gods, including Thor, Baldur, Vidar, Vali, and others. But what of the other races of gods, for example, the Vanir, what is their origin and bloodlines? The little information that survives about the father of Odin,…
Odin is the principal god in the Norse pantheon. Called the All-father, it was Odin who created Midgard with the help of his brothers Vili and Ve, and created mankind to inhabit the realm. He then went on to be the ruler of all the Aesir gods and the most important deity worshipped by the…
The Vikings had a feasting culture. They would often get together for grand festivals, which were also used as a mechanism for social cohesion. Modern Viking festivals are more about fun. Get dressed up, shop Nordic wares, and maybe participate in a battle re-enactment. They are also fantastic opportunities to get together with other Viking…
The Viking runes are a fascinating topic for historians and mystics alike. As well as being a system of writing that reveals fascinating snippets about the lives of the Vikings, the Vikings believed that the Norse runes also had magical properties, exploited by Viking runemasters, and also used by modern diviners. Let’s take a look…
Of the many gods and goddesses in the Norse pantheon that receive little popular attention, Idun is among the most fascinating. She is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, her role and purpose suggest that the Vikings did not believe their gods to be immortal in an absolute sense. Secondly, she clearly demonstrates that Norse beliefs…
There are many more gods in the Norse pantheon than just the ones that most people know from the Marvel cinematic universe. Unfortunately, our knowledge of many of them is quite limited because we have to piece it together from fragments of surviving information. Bragi, the Bard of Asgard, is one of those gods about…
Norse mythology describes the universe as a fascinating cosmos with many intriguing worlds. But one of the most interesting elements of the Norse cosmos is not a world at all, but the Rainbow Bifrost Bridge. An enchanted bridge created by the gods, it connects the worlds of the Aesir gods and men, allowing the gods…
In the Marvel movies, it is an important piece of law that not just anyone can wield Thor’s hammer, and that only the worthy have the strength to pick it up. But in the original mythology, while Thor’s superior strength makes him one of the few people who can wield the hammer, Mjolnir does not…
