The Wisdom of the Old Norse

For along time now, i have been involved in a love affair with the Norse Mythos. I base alot of my philosophical and life oriented decisions and morals firmly around the teachings in these myths and the sagas of the old norse kings. I'd like to know how many of you know anything about the subject, and what your personal thoughts on the subject are.

I know some of Norse Mythology, like I know some of the gods...


Thor, Odin, Skadi, Modi, Tyr, etc

Also know about the Jotun, Muspelhiem, a few stories about dorfs.

Learned some of the info from games, I always pick Midgard/Nord factions if available in games.

I've read some about them too.

i like the idea their gods are mortal, and do like the concept of Valhalla. and Valkyries sound seksay

Know the story of Ragnarok as well.

Fenris!

[Edited on 3-11-2003 by Lysergic]

I too am an enthusiast for the ancient northmen, but especially of the Germanic tribes. For more information, I keep this website in my favorites:

www.fordham.edu...

Tell me what you think!

Excellent link Nath. I too am fond of the Germanic tribes and Woden. I would reccomend the Masks of Odin, by Elsa-Brita Titchenell, for further reading.

Gore,
Big Thor fan here....
Norse Mythology has always been a favorite of mine.
6 World Mythology and Legends books, including "Cassel Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend" by Andy Orchard
"Dictionary of Northern Mythology" by Rudolf Simek
"Norse Myths" by Kevin Crossley-Holland
"Masks of Odin" by Elsa-Brita Titichenell (As you have mentioned)
"Norse Myths and Legends" by Philip Ardagh
"Myth and Religion of the North" by Gabrielle Turville-Petre
"We Are Our Deeds" by Eric W�dening
"Edda" by Snorri Sturluson
"The Poetic Edda" by Lee Milton Hollander
"Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas" by Helene A. Guerber

Just to name a few......

Here's a very good site on Norse Mythology that I use, among a few select others:
"Encyclopedia Mythica: Norse Mythology."
Link:
www.pantheon.org...


regards
seekerof

To be honest never met a Celt I did not like

I dunno much about it goregrinder but i too would like to know more about the Nordic culture i remnber when i was in school we studied this kind of thing i mean the battles .

You might check out Asatru:
www.religioustolerance.org...

One of the best of their pages is here:
www.irminsul.org...

I studied them somewhat when I was doing research on the Celtic reconstructionist religions this summer.

Byrd, I actually slightly altered a piece of art from that site and used it in a tatoo design. Love that place.

I've gotten into Norse mythology some years ago (like I've studied religion, past & present) but I don't have any Norse sources in my own library...Whatever I know is only what memory tells me.

Currently, I'm more more into modern religions & I've kept up more closely with the Greek & Egyptian religions...

Yes the Norse mythology is cool and I enjoy reading about the cool stuff! Very epical and feeled with great courageous people. I don't like the Greek garbage because it seems to me that the stories revolve around if Zeus can keep his divine penis in his toga or how long it will stay in there.

Originally posted by Byrd
You might check out Asatru:
www.religioustolerance.org...

One of the best of their pages is here:
www.irminsul.org...

I studied them somewhat when I was doing research on the Celtic reconstructionist religions this summer.

Byrd, I found this section from your link:

"Creation Story: A poem Voluspa (Prophecy of the Seeress) contains an Asatru story of the creation of the universe. Between Muspelheim (The Land of Fire) and Niflheim the Land of Ice was an empty space called Ginnungigap. The fire and ice moved towards each other; when they collided, the universe came into being. Odin, Vili and Ve later created the world from the body of a giant that they had slain."

Interesting that they also use the word "Niflheim". But they use it to describe a place, not a group of people as the Bible does.

Also, it seems the Norse also had giants

"The Jotnar: These are giants who are in a constant state of war with the Aesir. They represent chaos and destruction. At the battle of Ragnarok, many of the Gods will die, the world will come to an end and be reborn."

Wasnt there alot of giant killing going on in the biblical days, as stated in the bible?

Originally posted by All Seeing Eye
Interesting that they also use the word "Niflheim". But they use it to describe a place, not a group of people as the Bible does.

Well, yes. And it is a combination word in Norse ("heim" means "home") just as Nephthelim is a combination word in Hebrew. But the synchronicity of the sounds is mere coincidence.

The word, "bad" is a word in both German and in English. In German, it means "bath." In English, it means "not good." They do not have a common root and they don't mean the same thing. It's just a synchronicity.

Also, it seems the Norse also had giants

No surprise. So did every other culture I can think of, though the giants are all quite different. The Norse also had dwarves and kobolds (later legends) and a lot of other interesting things. The giants were ice giants and (we think) represented winter/death/glaciers/etc.

"The Jotnar: These are giants who are in a constant state of war with the Aesir. They represent chaos and destruction. At the battle of Ragnarok, many of the Gods will die, the world will come to an end and be reborn."

Wasnt there alot of giant killing going on in the biblical days, as stated in the bible?

No. And you really can't compare the two mythologies. In Ragnarok, only two of the gods survive and two humans -- and the Norse state that this hasn't happened yet. It's in the future. It isn't anything like the Christian Armageddon... because the great God Odin does die (permanently), as does Fenris and Loki and the ice giants (there is no equivalent of the christian "Satan" in the Norse legends.)

In the christian Armageddon, niether opponent dies but one loses.

In the Bible, there's no organized war against giants and the only one who appears personally is Goliath, and he's a Palestinian (Philistine.)

Also, the Norse did not believe that humans were born evil and that there was a deity of Complete and Total Goodness and a deity of Complete and Total Evilness. Odin makes mistakes and has to go to the Fates to ask to see the future. Loki is destructive, but not Total Evil.

They're not terribly similar to Christianity.

Um Byrd, hate to break it to you...Christianity doesn't believe Lucifer is a diety. He is a fallen angel.

I'd argue that Lucifer is a deity.

No other Angels have the same power. He's God's equal. God is a diety. Therefore Lucifer's a deity.