Bilskirnir, Breidablik, Élivágar, Eliudnir, Fensalir, Fólkvangr, Gimlé, Ginnungagap, Gjallar Bridge, Gjöll, Gladsheim, Glasir, Glitnir, Gnipa, Himinbjörg, Hindarfjall, Horgr, Idavoll, Jotunheim, Ironwood, Hlidskjalf, Midgard, Muspelheim, Mirkwood, Nastrond, Niflheim, Noatun, Sessrúmnir, Singasteinn, Slidr River, Sökkvabekkr, Thrudvang, Thrymheim, Utgard, Valhall, Vanaheim, Hvergelmi ...

Including:

Norse mythology - Sources Norse mythology - Cosmology
Norse mythology - Supernatural beings Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world
Norse mythology - Kings and heroes Norse mythology - Norse worship
Norse mythology - Centres of faith Norse mythology - Priests Norse mythology - Human sacrifice
Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity Norse mythology - Modern influences Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia - Norse mythology

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Norse worship

Norse mythology was a collection of beliefs and stories shared by Northern Germanic tribes. It was not a revealed religion, in that it was not a truth handed down from the divine to the mortal (although it does have tales of normal persons learning the stories of the gods from a visit to or from the gods), and it had no scripture. The mythology was orally transmitted in the form of long, regular poetry. Oral transmission continued through the Viking Age, and our knowledge about it is mainly based on the Eddas and other medieval texts wri ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Overview

Bilskirnir, Breidablik, Élivágar, Eliudnir, Fensalir, Fólkvangr, Gimlé, Ginnungagap, Gjallar Bridge, Gjöll, Gladsheim, Glasir, Glitnir, Gnipa, Himinbjörg, Hindarfjall, Horgr, Idavoll, Jotunheim, Ironwood, Hlidskjalf, Midgard, Muspelheim, Mirkwood, Nastrond, Niflheim, Noatun, Sessrúmnir, Singasteinn, Slidr River, Sökkvabekkr, Thrudvang, Thrymheim, Utgard, Valhall, Vanaheim, Hvergelmi ...

Including:

Norse mythology - Sources Norse mythology - Cosmology
Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world
Norse mythology - Kings and heroes Norse mythology - Norse worship
Norse mythology - Centres of faith Norse mythology - Priests Norse mythology - Human sacrifice
Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity Norse mythology - Modern influences Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia - Norse mythology

Most, if not all, of the written material about the Norse religion are derived from written accounts far later than when the religion was practiced, and well into the Christian period. This is when the lines blurred between Norse pre-Christian religion and a demonized or romanticized Norse mythology. Norse religion was a cultural phenomenon, and like most pre-literate folk beliefs, the practitioners probably did not have a name for their religion, until they came into contact with outsiders or competitors. Therefore, the only titles bestowed ...

See also:

Norse paganism, Norse paganism - Archaeological Sources, Norse paganism - Literary Sources, Norse paganism - Worship, Norse paganism - Centres of faith, Norse paganism - Priests, Norse paganism - Human sacrifice

Read more here: » Norse paganism: Encyclopedia II - Norse paganism - Literary Sources

Many sites in Scandinavia have yielded valuable information about early Scandinavian culture. The oldest extant cultural example are in the form of petroglyphs or helleristninger [1]. These are usually divided into two categories according to age: "hunting-glyphs" and "agricultural-glyphs". The hunting glyphs are the oldest (ca. 9,000 -- 6,000 B.C.) and are predominantly found in Northern Scandinavia (Jämtland, Nord-Trøndelag and Nordland). These finds seem to indicate an existence primarily based on hunting and fishing. Thes ...

See also:

Norse paganism, Norse paganism - Archaeological Sources, Norse paganism - Literary Sources, Norse paganism - Worship, Norse paganism - Centres of faith, Norse paganism - Priests, Norse paganism - Human sacrifice

Read more here: » Norse paganism: Encyclopedia II - Norse paganism - Archaeological Sources

Norse paganism - Centres of faith. The Germanic tribes rarely or never had temples in a modern sense. The Blót, the form of worship practiced by the ancient Germanic and Scandinavian people resembled that of the Celts and Balts : it could occur in sacred groves. It could also take place at home and/or at a simple altar of piled stones known as a "horgr". However, there seems to have been a few more important centres, such as Skiringsal, Lejre and Uppsala. Adam of Bremen claims that there was a temple in Uppsala (see Temple at Uppsala) with three wooden statues of Thor, Odin and Freyr. ...

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Norse paganism, Norse paganism - Archaeological Sources, Norse paganism - Literary Sources, Norse paganism - Worship, Norse paganism - Centres of faith, Norse paganism - Priests, Norse paganism - Human sacrifice

Read more here: » Norse paganism: Encyclopedia II - Norse paganism - Worship

There seems to have been a belief in a World tree, which in Germanic mythology was an ash tree (Norse Yggdrasil; Irminsul), in Hinduism a banyan tree, in Lithuanian mythology Jievaras and an oak tree in Slavic mythology. Although this concept is absent from Greek mythology, there is also a later folk tradition about the World Tree, which is being sawed by the Kallikantzaroi (Greek goblins), perhaps a reborrowing from other peoples. One common myth which can be found among almost all Indo-European mythologies is a battle ending with th ...

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Proto-Indo-European religion, Proto-Indo-European religion - Priests, Proto-Indo-European religion - Pantheon, Proto-Indo-European religion - Mythology, Proto-Indo-European religion - Development, Proto-Indo-European religion - Notes

Read more here: » Proto-Indo-European religion: Encyclopedia II - Proto-Indo-European religion - Mythology

Sweden has been a kingdom since prehistoric times. As early as the 1st century, Tacitus wrote that the Suiones had a king, but the order of succession to the later historic kings of Sweden is not known, except for what is accounted for in the historically controversial Norse sagas (see Mythological kings of Sweden and Semi-legendary kings of Sweden). Originally, the Swedish king had little power, and it was restricted to the functions of a warchief, judge and priest at the Temple at Uppsala (see Germanic king). It is a testimony to th ...

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Monarch of Sweden, Monarch of Sweden - The line of succession, Monarch of Sweden - History, Monarch of Sweden - Head of state

Read more here: » Monarch of Sweden: Encyclopedia II - Monarch of Sweden - History

Thor is a figure in Norse mythology. He first appears at Milliways, and is mentioned in Fit the Fifth of the radio series, Episode Five of the televison series, and the book The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. He has no lines in either of these. He next appears in the book Life, the Universe and Everything, at a party, where he is chatting up Trillian. Arthur tricks him into stepping out of the (flying) building by challenging him to a fight. In the radio adaption of this he appears in Fit the Sixteenth, where he is play ...

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Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Agrajag, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Allitnils The, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Almighty Bob, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Arcturan Megafreighter crew, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Colin, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Deep Thought, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Dish of the Day, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Eccentrica Gallumbits, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Eddie, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Elvis Presley, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Fenchurch, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Frankie and Benjy mouse, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Gag Halfrunt, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Gail Andrews, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Gargravarr, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Garkbit, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Golgafrinchans, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Agda and Mella, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Captain, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Hairdresser, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Management consultant, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Marketing girl, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Number One, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Number Two, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Telephone Sanitizer, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Grunthos the Flatulent, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Hactar, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Haggunenon Underfleet Commander, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Hig Hurtenflurst, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Hotblack Desiato, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Humma Kavula, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Hurling Frootmig, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Judiciary Pag, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Mrs Kapelsen, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Kwaltz, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Lady Cynthia Fitzmelton, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Lintilla, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Lord The, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Lunkwill and Fook, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Majikthise and Vroomfondel, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Max Quordlepleen, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Murray Bost Henson, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Old Thrashbarg, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Oolon Colluphid, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Poodoo, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Prak, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Mr Prosser, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Questular Rontok, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Random Dent, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Rob McKenna, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Roosta, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Ruler of the Universe The, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Russell, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Shooty and Bang Bang, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Slartibartfast, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Thor, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Trin Tragula, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Varntvar The Priest, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Veet Voojagig, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Vroomfondel and Majikthise, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Wise Old Bird The, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Wonko the Sane, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Yooden Vranx, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Zarniwoop, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Zarquon, Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Zem

Read more here: » Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Encyclopedia II - Minor characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Thor

In Norse mythology, the earth is represented as a flat disc. This disk is situated in the branches of the world tree, or Yggdrasil. Asgard, where the gods lived, was located at the centre of the disc, and could only be reached by walking across the rainbow (the Bifröst bridge). The Giants lived in an abode called Jötunheimr (giant realm). A cold, dark underground abode called Niflheim was ruled by Hel, daughter of Loki. According to the Prose Edda this was the eventual dwelling-place of mos ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Cosmology

In Norse mythology, the earth was believed to be a flat disc. This disk is situated in the branches of the world tree, or Yggdrasil. Asgard, where the gods lived, was located at the centre of the disc, and could only be reached by walking across the rainbow (the Bifröst bridge). The Giants lived in an abode called Jötunheimr (giant realm). A cold, dark underground abode called Niflheim was ruled by Hel, daughter of Loki. According to the Prose Edda this was the eventual dwelling-place of most of the dead. Located somewhere in ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Cosmology

Most of this mythology was passed down orally, and much of it has been lost. However, some of it was captured and recorded by Christian scholars, particularly in the Eddas and the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, who believed that pre-Christian deities were men and women rather than devils. There is also the Danish Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus, where, however, the Norse gods are strongly Euhemerized. The Prose or Younger Edda was written in the early 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, who was a leading ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Sources

The Germanic gods have left traces in modern vocabulary. An example of this is some of the names of the days of the week: modelled after the names of the days of the week in Latin (named after Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn), the names for Tuesday through to Friday were replaced with Germanic equivalents of the Roman gods. In English, Saturn was not replaced, while Saturday is named after the sabbath in German, and is called "washing day" in Scandinavia. Norse mythology also influenced Richard Wagner's use of literary themes from it to compose the four operas that comprise Der Ring ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Modern influences

The mythological literature relates the legends of heroes and kings, as well as supernatural creatures. These clan and kingdom founding figures possessed great importance as illustrations of proper action or national origins. The heroic literature may have fulfilled the same function as the national epic in other European literatures, or it may have been more nearly related to tribal identity. Many of the legendary figures probably existed, and generations of Scandinavian scholars h ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Kings and heroes

An important problem in interpreting this mythology is that often the closest accounts that we have to "pre-contact" times were written by Christians. The Younger Edda and the Heimskringla were written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, over two hundred years after Iceland became Christianized. Virtually all of the saga literature came out of Iceland, a relatively small and remote island, and even in the climate of religious tolerance there, Snorri was guided by an essentially Christian viewpoint. The Heimskring ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Overview, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity

Most of this mythology was passed down orally, and much of it has been lost. However, some of it was captured and recorded by Christian scholars, particularly in the Eddas and the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, who believed that pre-Christian deities were men and women rather than devils. There is also the Danish Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus, where, however, the Norse gods are strongly Euhemerized. The Prose or Younger Edda was written in the early 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, who was a leading ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Sources

The mythological literature relates the legends of heroes and kings, as well as supernatural creatures. These clan and kingdom founding figures possessed great importance as illustrations of proper action or national origins. The heroic literature may have fulfilled the same function as the national epic in other European literatures, or it may have been more nearly related to tribal identity. Many of the legendary figures probably existed, and generations of Scandinavian scholars h ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Kings and heroes

An important problem in interpreting this mythology is that often the closest accounts that we have to "pre-contact" times were written by Christians. The Younger Edda and the Heimskringla were written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, over two hundred years after Iceland became Christianized. Virtually all of the saga literature came out of Iceland, a relatively small and remote island, and even in the climate of religious tolerance there, Snorri was guided by an essentially Christian viewpoint. The Heimskring ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity

The Germanic gods have left traces in modern vocabulary. An example of this is some of the names of the days of the week: modelled after the names of the days of the week in Latin (named after Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn), the names for Tuesday through to Friday were replaced with Germanic equivalents of the Roman gods. In English, Saturn was not replaced, while Saturday is named after the sabbath in German, and is called "washing ...

See also:

Norse mythology, Norse mythology - Sources, Norse mythology - Cosmology, Norse mythology - Supernatural beings, Norse mythology - Völuspá: the origin and end of the world, Norse mythology - Kings and heroes, Norse mythology - Norse worship, Norse mythology - Centres of faith, Norse mythology - Priests, Norse mythology - Human sacrifice, Norse mythology - Interactions with Christianity, Norse mythology - Modern influences, Norse mythology - Bibliography

Read more here: » Norse mythology: Encyclopedia II - Norse mythology - Modern influences