Norse Mythology

Vikings- One of a seafaring Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of northern and western Europe from the eighth through the tenth century.

Ginnungagap- a primordial void, filled with mists, existing between Niflheim and Muspelheim.

Nifleheim- a place of eternal cold, darkness, and fog, ruled over by Hel: abode of those who die of illness or old age.

Muspellheim- is the realm of fire in Norse Mythology, it is home to the fire giants.

Yggdrasil- an evergreen ash tree, the three roots of which bind together Asgard, Midgard, and Niflheim.

Asgard- the home of the Aesir and location of Valhalla and the palaces of the individual gods: connected with the earth by the rainbow bridge, Bifrost.

Midgard- the middle earth, home of men, lying between Niflheim and Muspelheim, formed from the body of Ymir.

Hel- the goddess ruling Niflheim: a daughter of Loki and Angerboda, the home of the dead; Niflheim.

Bifrost Bridge- is the bridge leading from Midgard, the realm of mortals, to Asgard, the realm of the gods, which the gods travel daily to hold their councils and pass judgments.

Ymir- he earliest being and the progenitor of the giants, killed by Odin and his brothers. From his flesh the earth was made, from his blood the waters, and from his skull the heavens.

Odin- the ruler of the Aesir and god of war, poetry, knowledge, and wisdom; Wotan: the chief god.

Frigg- wife of Odin and chief of the goddesses.

The Valkyries- “Choosers of the Slain” purpose was to determine the victors of battles and wars, and to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle.

The Norns- Any of the three goddesses of fate in Norse myth.

Thor- the god of thunder, rain, and farming, represented as riding a chariot drawn by goats and wielding the hammer Mjolnir: the defender of the Aesir, destined to kill and be killed by the Midgard Serpent.

Balder- a god, a son of Odin and Frigg and the twin brother of Hod, by whom he was killed.

Njord- the god of winds, navigation, and prosperity, and the father of Frey and Freya; king of the Vanir.

Frey- the god of peace, prosperity, and marriage: one of the Vanir, originally brought to Asgard as a hostage.

Freya- the goddess of love and fertility, sister of Frey, daughter of Njord; one of the Vanir.

Idunn- a goddess, keeper of the apples of youth and wife of Bragi; abducted by the giant Thjazi, from whom she was rescued.

Loki- a trickster god, born of Jotun ancestry but accepted among the Aesir as Odin's adopted brother: father of the monsters Fenrir, Hel, and the Midgard serpent, and the instigator of Balder's death.

Fenrir-a wolflike monster, a son of Loki and Angerboda, chained by Gleipnir but destined to be released at Ragnarok to eat Odin and to be killed by Vidar.

Jormungandr- a serpent, the child of Loki and Angerboda, who lies wrapped around the world, tail in mouth, and is destined to kill and to be killed by Thor at Ragnarok; Jormungand.

Ragnarok- the destruction of the gods and of all things in a final battle with the evil powers.

Runes- comprise an ancient Scandinavian alphabet, with each letter having a name and meaning, used for divination to predict all aspects of the future, for fertility, love, and good fortune.