Nordic Mythology

Alfadur: The all-father, literally. He is often identified with Odin. The Supreme Being. He will cause a new heaven and a new earth to arise out of the sea after Ragnarok.

Alfheim: The home of the light elves. The elves sport here in eternal light. It was located near the well of the Norns at the foot of the ash tree Yggdrasill in the domain of Frey.

Angerbotha or Angerboda: A giantess. She is the mother of Fenrir, Hel and the Midgard serpent by Loki.

Asgard: The enclosure of the Gods. The citadel of the Gods, located in the heavens, and only accessible via the rainbow bridge Bifrost. There are many mansions in Asgard and among them are Valhalla, Vingolf, Valaskjalf,Ydalir, etc.

Ask or Askr: The name of the first man who was created out of an ash tree by the Gods Odin, Ve and Vili. The name of the first woman was Embla.

Audhumla: The cow from which the giant Ymir was nursed. Her milk was raindrops formed from melted frost. She licked the grandfather of Odin, Buri out of the salty ice.

Balder or Baldur: The son of Odin & Frigga. He was the God of light. He was killed variously by either Hoder while fighting for possession of Nanna or by a blind Hoder armed with a mistletoe twig by his brother Loki.

Bifrost: The rainbow bridge that connects Asgard with Midgard. It is guarded by Heimdall. It will collapse at Ragnarok under the weight of the onrushing sons of Muspelheim.

Bragi: The son of Odin. The God of poetry. He was Odin’s chief skald in Valhalla.

Brunhild: The leader of the Valkyrie.

Embla: The name of the first woman who was created out of an elder by the Gods Odin, Ve, and Vili.

Fafner: One of the giants who built Valhalla for Wotan. He and his brother accepted Alberich’s golden hoard as payment instead of Freya, the price originally agreed upon. Fafner killed Fasolt and transformed himself into a dragon to guard the hoard that now solely belonged to him.

Fafnir: He guards Andvari’s gold as a venom breathing dragon.

Fasolt: The brother of Fafner the giant. He was killed by Fafner because Fafner did not want to share the golden hoard of the Nibelungs.

Fenrir: He is one of the offspring of the giantess Angerbotha and Loki. His siblings are Hel and the Midgard serpent. He has the form of a wolf and is also known as the Fenris-wolf. He bit off Tyr’s hand when the God chained him with a special chain named Gleipher. AT Ragnarok he will go to the battlefield of Vigrid, where he will kill Odin and then be killed by Odin’s son.

Fensalir: The halls of fen. Frigga’s palace, which is called the Hall of the Sea where lovers, hubands and wives who are separated by death are brought together.

Freki: One of two wolves who lie at Odin’s feet when he is seated on his throne. They eat all of Odin’s food because he needs none.

Frey or Freyr: The brother of Freya and the son of Njord and the God of rain, growth and sunshine. He possessed a wonderful weapon that he had to give to Skirnir who obtained the hand of gerda for him. The elves gave him, Skidbladnir, a ship large enough for all of the Gods. He will be killed by Surtur the leader of the giants at Ragnarok.

Freya: The sister of Frey and the wife of Odin. She is the Goddess of youth, love beauty and the dead.

Frigga: The supreme Goddess and the wife of Odin. She is the Goddess of marriage. She is often confused with Freya.

Gerda: the most beautiful of all women, whom Frey gained as his wife trading his sword as payment.

Geri: The second of Odin’s two wolves.

Giants: very large beings of fearful countenance. They are in constant opposition to the Gods.

Gjallarhorn: the horn sounded by Heimdall, the warder of Asgard, to assemble the Gods and heroes at Vigrid for the contest of the “twilight of the Gods.”

Gleipner: A magic chain, fashioned by the mountain spirits of the noise made by the footfall of a cat, the roots of stones, the beards of women, the sensibilities of bears, the breath of fishes, and the spittle of birds, which is used by the Gods to bind the Fenris-wolf.

Gulltopp: Heimdall’s horse, which he rides at Baldur’s funeral.

Gunther: King of Burgundy and husband of Brunhilde. He was slain by Hagen.

Gutrune: The sister of Gunther given in marriage to Siegfried in return for his help in securing Brunhilde as wife of Gunther.

Heidrun: The she0goat who furnishes mead for the slain heroes in Valhalla

Heimdall: the guardian of Bifrost against the giants.

Hel: The lower regions where those not slain in battle go upon their death. The name of the Goddess who rules this region.

Hela: The daughter of Loki and mistress of Hel.

Hermod or Hermodr: The son of Odin who made a journey to Hel in an unsuccessful attempt to recall Baldur to the Upper World. He and Bragi receive and welcome to Valhalla all heroes who fall in battle.

Hodur: A blind man who was tricked by Loki into throwing a mistletoe twig at Baldur, killing him.

Hringham: Baldur’s ship.

Hugi: thought in disguise. One of Utgards-Loki’s men. He managed to run faster than Thialfi in a contest at Utgard.

Hugin: One of two ravens which sit upon the shoulders of Odin when he is seated upon his throne. Every day they fly out and bring back reports of all they heard or saw. The second raven is named Munin.

Hunding: the husband of Sieglinda

Ithunn: the wife of Bragi. She is the Goddess who kept the apples in Asgard which were eaten by the Gods to preserve their eternal youth.

Jotunnheim or Jotunheim: the literal home of the giants. One of the Nine Worlds. It lies in the northwest where the ocean meets the edge of the universe and the giants live there. One of the roots of the ash tree Yggdrasill extends into it.

Kriemhild: the legendary heroine of the Nibelungenlied, sister of Gunther and wife of Siegfried. She avenged the death of Siegfried by massacring the Nibelungs.

Logi: One of Utgard-Loki’s men. Fire in disguise. He managed to eat more food faster than Loki in a contest at Utgard.

Loki: The God of strife and spirit of evil. The son of the giant Firbauti and Laufey/Nal, the friend of the enemy of the Gods and the father of the Midgard Serpent, Fenris & Hel. He artfully contrived the death of Baldur. He was finally chained to a rock with ten chains and will continue to be so chained until the Twilight of the Gods.

Midgard: The yard in the middle literally. The abode of man, which is situated between Asgard & Niffleheim and fashioned by Ve, Vili and Odin out of the brow of the giant named Ymir whom they killed.

Midgard Serpent: also known as Midgardsorm. The worm or serpent of Midgard. One of the offspring of Loki and Angerboda. Odin threw the serpent into the sea, where it encircles the earth. Thor almost managed to lift the serpent off the ground at Utgard. At Ragnarok, the serpent will go to the battlefield of Vigrid where it will be killed by Thor but it will vomit its venom on him and he will not survive.

Mimir: A giant water demon. He resides at “Mimir’s Well,” the source of all wisdom, under Yggdasill in Jotennheim. Odin had to leave one of his eyes in pawn when he wanted to drink from the well. Also known as Ymir.

Munin: One of the ravens who sit on the shoulders of Odin. The name of the other raven is Hugin. They are Odin’s spies.

Muspellsheim or Muspelheim: One of the Nine Worlds. It is the realm of fire and warmth its sons will devastate the Bifrost bridge while fighting the Gods at Ragnarok.

Nanna: wife of Baldur. She threw herself on the funeral pyre when the blind Hodur slew Baldur.

Nibelungen Hoard: A treasure seized by Siegfried from the dwarf Alberich. Hagen took possession of it after killing Siegfried and buried it in the Rhine and it was lost after Hagen was killed by Kriemhild.

Nibelungenlied: A Middle High German epic, containing essentially the same stories as the Norse Volsunga Saga.

Nibelungs: A race of dwarves, whose hoard was captured by Siegfried. Eventually, Siegfried’s followers came to be known as Nibelungs and then later it was used as a synonym for Burgundians.

Niflheim or Niffleheim: One of the Nine Worlds. It lies in the north and is a cold world of fog. One of Yggdrasill’s roots extends into it and is continually gnawed on by the adder Nithhogg.

Nithhogg or Nidhogge: a serpent in the world of Niflheim that feeds upon one of the roots of the ash tree Yggdrasill.

Norns: The three Fates: Urth (Past), Verthandi (Present), and Skuld ( Future), who reside at the sacred well Urtharbrunn at the foot of Yggdrasill and they carefully tend the root that extends into Asgard.

Nothung: the magic sword of Wotan. Sigmund and then later Siegfried gained possession of it.

Odin: He is also known as Woden and Wotan. He is the God of wisdom, poetry, war and agriculture. His remaining eye is the sun. His father was Bor. His brothers are Vili and Ve. His wife is Frigga and his sons Thor and Baldur. His mansion is Glasheim and his court is Valhalla. He has two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (Memory). His steed is Sleipner. His ships are Skidbladnir and Naglfar. His spear is named Gungnir and it never misses its mark. His throne is named Hlidskjalf. His wolves are geri and Freki. Fenris the wolf will ultimately swallow him up at Ragnarok.

Ragnarok: The Twilight of the Gods. It will result in the total destruction of the universe. Loki and his offspring, Hel, Fenrir and the Midgard Serpent will destroy and be destroyed by the Gods on the battlefield of Vigrid. Ragnarok will be followed by a regeneration of all things. A new earth will arise and sons of Odin and Thor together with Baldur and Hodur will populate it. The equivalent of Armageddon. It also sounds like “children of the corn” Nordic style.

Rhine: the river under which the Nibelung Hoard is buried.

Runes: alphabet invented by Odin.

Schrimnir: The Boar, cooked nightly for the heroes of Valhalla and becoming whole every morning.

Siegfried: The young king of the Netherlands and husband of Kriemhild. Brunhild, in anger, hired Hagen to murder Siegfried.

Sieglinde: Wife of Hunding and mother by Siegmund of Siegfried

Siegmund: Father of Siegfried

Siguna: the wife of Loki. She nurses him in his cavern. When she carries off the poison upon which the serpents gorge, a portion drops on Loki, and his writhings cause earthquakes.

Skidbladnir: A miraculous ship which the elves gave to Frey which had room for all of the Gods but it could be folded together and put in a side pocket.

Skirnir: Frey’s messenger. He won Frey’s magic sword by getting Gerda to be Frey’s wife.

Skrymir: The name Utgard-Loki used when in the shape of a giant he conducted Thor, Loki and Thialfi to Jotenheim.

Skuld: One of the three Norns or Fates. She represents the future. Her name is related to the word “shall”.

Sleipnir: Odin’s grey horse, which had eight legs and could carry his master over the sea as well as the land.

Surtur: The leader of the giants against the Gods on the Twilight of the Gods.

Svadilfari: The horse that helped the giant build a residence for the Gods of Asgard.

Thaukt: An old hag and the only one who refused to weep for Baldur and thus prevented his return from Hel. His return from Hel could only be accomplished by the unanimous demand of all beings and things. It was suspected that she was Loki in disguise.

Thialfi: Thor’s servant. He accompanied Loki and his master to Utgard, the residence of Utgard-Loki. There he lost a foot race with Hugi, one of Utgard-Loki’s men, who was actually Thought in disguise.

Thor: The second main God. He is the son of Earth and Odin and he is the God of thunder. His most precious possessions are his hammer, a belt of strength, and a pair of iron gloves. He gave the giant who built the residence for the Gods his hammer as payment. He almost conwuered Elli, old age. He will kill the Midgard Serpent at Ragnarok but will die from its venom.

Thrym: The name of the giant killed by Thor with his hammer when Thor disguised himself as Freya and received the hammer as a wedding gift from Thrym who refused to return it unless given Freya as his bride. Thor hit him in the head with his hammer.

Tyr: The God of battle. The other Gods did not redeem their pledge when he put his hand in the mouth of Fenris and so he has only one hand.

Urth or Urdur: One of the three Norns or Fates. In earlier tales she was the only Fate and was usually associated with Death or Hel. She came to represent the past when two more Fates were added.

Utgard: the residence of the giant Utgard-Loki. Thor tried unsuccessfully to beat old age here and the Midgard Serpent also resides here.

Utgard-Loki: The chief of the giants and another name for Skrymir.

Utgard-Loki disguised himself as the giant Skrymir and conducted Thor, Thialfi and Loki to Jotenheim. At Jotenheim, fire disguised as Logi ate faster than Loki; thought disguised as Hugi, ran faster than Thialfi; old age, disguised as Elli, was stronger than Thor, etc… He escaped Thor’s wrath by vanishing after he had admitted to Thor his trickery.

Valhalla: The Hall of the Slain. One of the mansions of Asgard, built for Odin by the giants who were paid with the Nibelung Hoard in place of Freya. Heroes who have bravely fallen in battle feast on mead and boar’s meat with Odin in Valhalla. It is a hall with 540 gates, which the warriors go out each morning to fight more battles and to which they return at night for another banquet with the Valkyries as servers/waitresses.

Valkyrie: Daughters of the Norse Gods and Odin’s messengers. They are armed and mounted warlike virgins who select slain heroes for Valhalla and serve them at their feasts.

Ve: The brother of Odin & Vili. The three brothers made the world out of the slain giant Ymir. Ve contributed senses, expressive features, and speech when the first human couple was created.

Verthandi: One of the three Norns or Fates. She represents the present. Her name is related to the German word “werden,” which means “to grow or to become.”

Vigrid: the battlefield where at Ragnarok, where the Gods will kill and be killed by Loki and his kin and where the world will be devastated.

Vili: The brother of Odin and Ve. Vili gave the first man and woman reason and motion when they were created.

Woden: The chief deity. He is also known as Odin.

Wotan: Old High German form of the name “Odin.”

Yggdrasill: Literally means, the horse of Odin. It is the “Tree of the Universe,” which sprang from the slain body of Ymir. It is an ash tree that has three roots. One extends to the well named Hvergelmir in Niflheim where the dragon Nithhogg lies gnawing away it’s substance. The second root extends to the well named Mimir at Jotenheim, which is the source of all wisdom. The third root extends to Asgard and by it lies the well urtharbrunn whose waters the Norns use to preserve Yggdrasill from decay. The squirell named ratatosk runs up and down the trunk of Yggdrasill carrying strife. Four harts feed on the foliage of Yggdrasill. An eagle and a hawk sit in its branches.

Ymir: A primeval giant, the equivalent of Chaos, who was killed by Odin, Ve, and Vili who made the world out of his body. His blood became the sea and his skull became the heavens. The maggots rising in his dead body became the night or black elves.yggdrasill, the “Tree of the Universe,” grew out of Ymir, and when he tries to shake of its weight he causes earthquakes.