Norse Texts and Gods
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Norse Texts and Gods
Norse Texts
Norse gods and Norse culture come from an older Germanic mythology and culture, which was influenced by Roman gods and culture. And Roman mythology was to ar large extent taken over from Greek. The same applies to many other sides to Roman culture. Both Roman, Greek, and Germanic belong to the same language, Indo-Germanic. If we study characteristics of gods and other culture elements, we may soon see similarities in the depths of their various ancient mythscapes along with language relatedness. But allow for modifications and additions and more, for that is how different cultures tend to develop their different patchworks. At any rate, there is an Indo-Aryan heritage involved.For example, the popular Norse thunder-god, Thor, (Donner) equals the Greek Zeus (Jupiter) and the Indo-Aryan Indra, god of thunder and rain. You can read about the remnant descriptions of Norse gods in an online work by Peter A. Munch. Its 1926 edition is online here.
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| Self-Portrait. |
The bulk of medieval Norse literature, and the most readable today, survives in the form of sagas (prose narratives). They are sometimes interspersed with verse, and relate the lives of legendary or historical figures with objectivity and skilful characterization.
VINLAND DISCOVERED: In AD 1000, Leif Eriksson ("Leif The lucky") discovered a part of North America and named it Vinland. Leif was a Norwegian-born Catholic of Greenland, where his father Eirik the Red settled after being outlawed on Iceland - Those who settled on Greenland never thought of themselves as a nation. So of what nationality were they? Not Danish, at any rate; we leave it there. Stories of the Northern discoveries were written down in Iceland anyway in some works.
HAVAMAL: "There are no howling wolves on Iceland". A study of the Havamal tells it is Norwegian, bits are found in Bergen excavations, the animals and scenery in it are Norwegian, not Icelandic, but it was preserved on Iceland, written in Norse. [A source: Ludvig Holm-Olsen. trans. Edda-dikt. 2nd rev. ed. Oslo: Cappelen, 1985 [Edd]
HEIMSKRINGLA: The chronicle of Norwegian kings (Heimskringla), was written on Iceland before Iceland united with Norway in the 1200s. Hence, that important work for Norwegian self-esteem is Icelandic, even though it tells of Norwegian people for most part. Icelanders - some of them bards - were often in the service of Norwegian noblemen at that time.
NATIONS AND CULTURAL MILIEU (ENVIRONMENT): The literature of Norse people intertwined as nations came to light, united, or were taken over.
Gods in a Simple, Practical Light
Icelandic manuscripts from early and medieval periods yield much knowledge of Germanic myth and legend. Stories of the Norse gods - of Thor, god of thunder; Balder the Beautiful; Odin, god of war; and others - are known to many.Mythological writings about Norse gods are found in the Edda books. Old, mythological poems in them probably stem from Norway, it is held. [Ebu "Scandinavian literature"]
Parts of the information that follows is from the vocabulary in the Eddda-translation The Younger Edda, Also Called Snorre's Edda, or The Prose Edda [Ye] by Rasmus Anderson (1846-1936), professor of Scandinavian lanugages at the University of Wisconsin.
There are also titbits from the second edition of Norrøne Gude- og heltesagn (Norse Stories of Gods and Heroes) [Ng] by the historian and professor Peter Andreas Munch (1810-63). Munch retold many stories from Norse sources. Many of his sources were Icelandic works.
The Cumbersome and Problematic Fare - Wishing it Weren't So
The folklore of Norway is rife with ideas where the hero (protagonist) is helped by magical objects. Similar ideas were current among the Norsemen. Their most cherished gods and goddesses have equipment and weapons to dream of.There are other and lesser gods and goddesses equipped with special items. It may be suggested that the features, capabilities, and wonder-gadgets of Norse gods reflect (a) cumbersome sides of being a Norseman or Viking; (b) yearnings for getting a less toilsome life; and besides, (c) many late inventions have come fairly close to this early imagery.
Basically cumbersome sides of being Norsemen can be suggested: Few and very bad roads for most part. Depending on travel by sea, and often without a fair wind, having to row. Pulling viking ships on timber logs between European rivers - trudging in marshes.
In a Jungian's perspective, very hard and poor conditions in time evoke yearnings for things and conditions that help a better life. In the course of time such wishes may be portrayed in the garb of imagery related to gods and notables; greatly coveted things may easily become god-equipments. Along this line the wonder-beasts that may be slaughtered and fed on only to be brought to life and served the next day again - and the next - reflect a basic shortness of food in a country where travelling can still be problematic, and where good means of transportation are dreamed of.
Norse gods excel to a large extent by means of transportation and weaponry, which reflects overriding aspects of Norseman living: very deep needs of weaponry and means of transportation, issues needing to be solved for living all right, etc. It could also be that some myths contain valuable clues as to how to deal with newly developed equipment. We may explore one myth segment in such a light here:
The boar Saerimne serves as food for the increasing gang of einherjer (fallen warriors) in Valhalla. The cook Andrimne cooks the boar in a kettle every day, but at night the boar is as unharmed and alive as before. The fallen warriors drink mead that flows from the udder of a goat, Heidrun. (Munch 1981, 87)If "Need teaches the naked woman to spin" is true somehow, it may also be taken to suggest Norsemen in need of food and drink unless killed - and perhaps "spinning tales" accordingly. Great need determines the value of things in a marketplace.
Gods
Old Norse sources name many deities. Names of persons and place names in various areas suggest which gods there once were intimate identifications with and widespread worship of. In some places the god Ull - the god of the bow and the snowshoes - was of the highest gods, and replaced Odin temporarily too. But most Vikings held Thor to be the highest god. The kings and nobility, however, preferred the unreliable Odin as the highest god. This is roughly etched.Norse gods are depicted by what they own, their wife, and children, and their names, all of which strongly indicates dominant qualities of the gods. However, versions or texts differ.
The Norse gods are usually considered to be of two tribes, the Aesir and the Vanir. They made peace between themselves and exchanged hostages. Thus, fertility gods of the Vanir, Njord, his son Freyr, and presumably his daughter Freyja, came to live among the Aesir, the story goes.
Thor (Þórr)
Place-names, personal names, poetry, and prose show that Thor was worshipped widely. Thor's name derives from the Germanic term for thunder, and he was far more popular than Odin among Vikings too. (The Norwegian tore or torden and the German Donner are linked, then).Thor was the very popular helper of the common man. Place-names in eastern Scandinavia and in England indicate that peasants adhered to Thor for rains and good crops; he was the most popular Norse god most places. Norse warriors trusted him too. For example, when the Vikings conquered Normandy, they called on Thor to help them in their military enterprises.
Like Indra, Zeus, and other Indo-European thunder-gods, he was essentially the champion of the gods, involved in struggles with the forces of nature that are called trolls and giants. He even dared to combat the huge serpent Jormungand that coils around the world.
Thor traveled in a chariot drawn by goats. Thunder was thought of as the sound of his chariot. His main weapon is a short-handled hammer, Mjolnir. He also had iron gloves, and a belt that strengthened him.
He was known as Thunor in the Saxon and Jutish areas in England. The Saxons on the mainland venerated him as Thunaer.
Thursday is named after Thor; he was equated with Jupiter by the Romans.
Odin
Odin - His worship was not widespread. He appears to have been the god of kings and nobility mostly. He was associated with inspiration and poetic outbursts of bards.Odin incited kinsmen to fight and turned against his own favourites because he needed heroes in the otherworld. He was also a necromancer, the god of the hanged. He hung himself in a tree for nine nights, pierced with a spear, sacrificed to himself, and nearly dead [!].
Odin could change his shape at will. He was also accompanied by carrion beasts, two wolves and two ravens. The birds kept him informed.
Untrustworthy, Odin might break the most sacred oath. He thus got his prominent position among nobility [!], and what is more, human sacrifice was offered to him.
Wednesday (i.e., "day of Woden") is named after Odin.
Njord
He was associated with wealth, health, and fertility. He came as a hostage to the Aesir from the Vanir.Njord was essentially a god of the sea and its riches, much similar to Greek Poseidon.
Njord married Skadi (Skaði), after having two children - Frey and Freya - with his unnamed sister.
Njord was much popular in Sweden and Norway, and one of the gods that Icelanders invoked when they swore oaths.
There is more about Norse gods in the Norse dictionary - and P. A. Munch's Norse Mythology.
Literature
Daf: Boberg, Inger M. Dansk folketradition i tro og digtning og deraf afhængig skik. (Danmarks Folkeminder 72). København: Munksgaard, 1962.
Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007.
Edd: Holm-Olsen, Ludvig, tr. Edda-dikt. 2nd rev. ed. Oslo: Cappelen, 1985.
Ng: Munch, P. A. Norrøne gude- og heltesagn. Rev. ed. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1981.
Ye: Sturlason, Snorre. The Younger Edda, Also Called Snorre's Edda, or The Prose Edda. Tr. Rasmus B. Anderson. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1901.
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