Norse Mythology - Blog Posts

Lorevember 2024

I am extremely late to posting this but I did finish my stories for Lorevember days 12-14. I'll add todays, tomorrows, and Sundays ones to their own posts whne they're done.

Day 12: Creation/Destruction

Title: Ancient Fueds

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Original Work, Ancient Egyptian Religion

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Major Character Death

Relationships: Original Male Character & Isis (Ancient Egyptian), Original Male Character & Kek (Ancient Egyptian), Original Male Character & Set (Ancient Egyptian), Set & Isis

Characters: Original Male Character(s), Isis (Ancient Egyptian), Set (Ancient Egyptian), Kek (Ancient Egyptian)

Additional Tags: Ancient Egyptian Deities, Dialogue Heavy, no happy ending, Short, Lorevember

Summary: This is my (late) story for Lorevember Day 12. It's more like a fusion between Days 12 and 13, though.

Kagami steals an unasumming pen. Meanwhile, Set secretly follows him to Isis, hellbent on finishing what he started with killing Osiris.

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Day 13: Beasts/Monsters

Title: Frigid Revitalizations

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Original Work, Norse Religion & Lore

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Original Female Character & Odin, Original Female Character & The Æsir

Characters: Original Female Character(s), Óðinn | Odin (Norse Religion & Lore), The Æsir

Additional Tags: Lorevember, References to Norse Religion & Lore, extremely short

Summary: Ragna gets revived by the Æsir Gods to do their bidding in Midgard, which she's not particulary happy about it.

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Day 14: Magic’s Origin

Title: Origin of The Nothingness Wars

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Original Work

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Gods & Their Creations

Characters: Time, Space - Character, Original Non-Human Character(s)

Additional Tags: Original Deities - Freeform, Original Mythology, Lorevember, Short, Original Universe

Summary: Before Time and Space had joined forces, there was a great nothingness. One so great that even the Gods couldn’t break through alone.

Even after the Gods escaped and created a safe haven for their kind, the Great Nothingness still permeated their very beings. It seeped into everything, despite their attempts to stop it.

Or The story of how the Nothingness Wars began.

Hola!

Alguna bruja o brujo que hable español por aquí? Quiero seguir gente de habla hispana también 💙

this is so random 😭😭😭

it's also giving

[very deep, manly voice] 🎶all they keep asking me is if I'm gonna be your bride🎶

🎶the only kinda girl they see is a one night or a Norse god

A button poetry inspired by the Norse mythology comic by @yeehawpim

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.

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When the Gods came to the Great wolf

Fenrir

He must have thought it just another day

Bright and grand

He must have thought it a game

These were the people who had raised him

And there was Tyr

his friend

They bind him He broke free

He must have rejoiced in his victory

Then the gods came again With different chains

Doubt would have taken hold But he must have ignored it

Bolstering his resolve in his strength thinking

He had nothing to fear

Since Tyr was there

But when the gods

Brought forth the cords

He must have sensed something amiss

This was no game

They wanted something from him

He must have recalled The fleeting hateful stares

But he also must have also remembered

How he played with Tyr

He would not let anything Happen to him

He must have cursed himself

For doubting his friend

For asking for Tyr's hand

But what is done is done he couldn’t go back

And now I sit and wonder

When the wolf couldn't break the cords

Did he pause?

Did Tyr know what would happen?

And offered his flesh regardless?

Or Maybe In guild for what was going to happen to his friend?

What he had caused?

There must have been A moment

When the great wolf pled

Hoping that he would be saved by his friend

Or maybe he wished for Tyr to pull back his hand?

And now I think

That when the wolf bit down

Maybe it wasn't from anger

Maybe it was from sorrow

His friend had made his choice

So maybe he bit

So the blood would hide his tears

Tyr was there

And he had betrayed him

Odin and Frey: drawings by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones and the stained glass they inspired by Brian James Waugh and Lux Fournier

I drew my own version of Loki, the Trickster Deity, My Headcannon is that Loki is a Non-Binary (They/Them)

The pre-Christian Norse spiritual worldview is animistic, which means that it's informed by direct experiences and observations of nature, interpreted through the lens of human experience and feelings. You know how we watch snow swirl around think that it looks playful, or watch a wildfire and think that it looks angry? It involves that kind of thing.

But when most people think of pre-Christian religions, they tend to imagine later forms of Greek and Roman polytheism. The problem here is that these Greeks and Romans had begun to think of divinity in more abstract, transcendent ways, and had begun to imagine the gods as rulers of things rather than the spirits of things.

Loki isn't the lord of mischief, he's the spirit of mischief. He's in the little voice telling you make that shitpost and to stop caring about being "cringe." He's in your cat's impulse to knock something off the counter to watch it bounce or roll. Loki manifests in every accidental innuendo and hilarious typo, in every spilled cup of coffee, and every paperwork mix-up. (This is why he's a shapeshifter! He can be anything!)

So when media depicts a Loki riddled with repression and shame - say, for example, a Loki who sneers at modern media or the culture of the common folk - it's depicting a Loki who can't really Loki. That poor spirit has been bound and gagged.

Certain popular media has depicted Thor and Loki as some kinds of opposites, but when we consider the animist perspective we can see there is a serious problem with this. Loki and Thor being depicted as companions isn't some random whim; it's a reflection of the reality that thunderstorms bring chaos.

A Loki informed by Norse mythology shouldn't be complaining about Thor's "oafishness" or whatever, he should be encouraging him to wreak even more havoc. Loki shouldn't be here out of some real or imagined obligation, he should be here because he expects he's going to have a pretty good time, and because he hopes to make the situation as ridiculous as possible.

Loki being the spirit of mischief is also why depicting him as hostile to humanity isn't really in the spirit of the pre-Christian Norse worldview. Mischief and chaos are not anti-human; they're just realities of the world that humans inhabit. I get how it's easy to infer that Loki must have something against humans due to his oppositional role toward the Aesir in the Ragnarok story, but that's an extremely Christian reading of the narrative. The story is simply describing the collapse of civilization and end of the world as we know it through Norse animistic comprehension. Loki only has an issue with the Aesir, who bound him in a cave to be tortured with serpent venom. Humanity is neither here nor there for him.

Norse Mythology in pop culture: Machiavellian manipulator Odin buts heads with chaos entity Loki as they manipulate and murder those around them ina bid to destroy and dominate the nine realms with ASoIaF level political plots and a foreboding prophecy of doom hangs over their heads.

-

Actual Norse Mythology:

Freya: *asleep in her bed when the phone rings. She picks up the reciever without saying a word.*

Odin: FREYA! YOU HAVE TO HELP US! LOKI AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY FUNNY TO DISGUISE OURSELVES AS DWARVEN PROSTITUTES AND INFILTRATE THIS GIANT KING'S PALACE BUT NOW LOKI IS PREGNANT I'M ENGAGED TO SEVEN DIFFERENT GIANTS, THERE'S THIS HORSE! CALL THOR SO HE CAN HIT THE PROBLEM REALLY HARD AND-

Freya: *hangs up the receiver, unplugs the phone, and goes back to sleep.*

I'm reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and in it Thor is really obsessed with the Midgard Serpent. For some reason, reading about it I remembered Marvel's Thor, who loved snakes. It's such a funny parallel :D

MAKING NORSE HEATHEN ABRIEVIATIONS FOR MESSAGING AT 12:15AM.

isto = I Swear To Oden

istt = i Swear To Thor

omo = Oh My Oden

omt = Oh My Thor

(y'all know the saying ''burn in hell''? well did u know in Norse heathen hell is actually an ice land because Norse heathenism originated in the north, [imagine that.] so here's what i say)

Freeze in hell

omg im so smart :000

hey, internet? If I butchered Greek and Norse mythology for a book I want to write (Wattpad, so nothing too fancy), would that be okay? Or would it be better if I take what I like about them and make my own thing up?

Helblindi, Loki, and Byleistr

The pre-Christian Norse spiritual worldview is animistic, which means that it's informed by direct experiences and observations of nature, interpreted through the lens of human experience and feelings. You know how we watch snow swirl around think that it looks playful, or watch a wildfire and think that it looks angry? It involves that kind of thing.

But when most people think of pre-Christian religions, they tend to imagine later forms of Greek and Roman polytheism. The problem here is that these Greeks and Romans had begun to think of divinity in more abstract, transcendent ways, and had begun to imagine the gods as rulers of things rather than the spirits of things.

Loki isn't the lord of mischief, he's the spirit of mischief. He's in the little voice telling you make that shitpost and to stop caring about being "cringe." He's in your cat's impulse to knock something off the counter to watch it bounce or roll. Loki manifests in every accidental innuendo and hilarious typo, in every spilled cup of coffee, and every paperwork mix-up. (This is why he's a shapeshifter! He can be anything!)

So when media depicts a Loki riddled with repression and shame - say, for example, a Loki who sneers at modern media or the culture of the common folk - it's depicting a Loki who can't really Loki. That poor spirit has been bound and gagged.

Certain popular media has depicted Thor and Loki as some kinds of opposites, but when we consider the animist perspective we can see there is a serious problem with this. Loki and Thor being depicted as companions isn't some random whim; it's a reflection of the reality that thunderstorms bring chaos.

A Loki informed by Norse mythology shouldn't be complaining about Thor's "oafishness" or whatever, he should be encouraging him to wreak even more havoc. Loki shouldn't be here out of some real or imagined obligation, he should be here because he expects he's going to have a pretty good time, and because he hopes to make the situation as ridiculous as possible.

Loki being the spirit of mischief is also why depicting him as hostile to humanity isn't really in the spirit of the pre-Christian Norse worldview. Mischief and chaos are not anti-human; they're just realities of the world that humans inhabit. I get how it's easy to infer that Loki must have something against humans due to his oppositional role toward the Aesir in the Ragnarok story, but that's an extremely Christian reading of the narrative. The story is simply describing the collapse of civilization and end of the world as we know it through Norse animistic comprehension. Loki only has an issue with the Aesir, who bound him in a cave to be tortured with serpent venom. Humanity is neither here nor there for him.

I'm reading Dr. Jackson Crawford's translation of the Poettic Eddas and I've found it great so far. His style of translation is very good at making the text accessible without stripping away the substance of the text.

He also made a fun translation of the Havamal into a cowboy that is so unnecessarily well done that it's funny.

Im trying to read the poetic edda so that i can actually understand the mythology im obsessed with but i have quickly realised that the translation im reading is udder garbage, it said that odin adopted loki which is not true theyre blood brothers not adopted father and son.

So does anyone know of any better translations?

Odin: Can you come collect your freak of a man please. Odin: He's doing things. Sigyn: No I set him loose on purpose. Sigyn: He needs enrichment.

Odin 🤝 a Roomba

Not cleaning up messes made while wandering.

Is that ASGARD in my FROZEN??? (unsubtle rainbow bridge) Is that Ymir's shadow hunting them?? Are we making Atohallan = Muspellheim??? :0 Is Elsa a Vanir in 2027???? HELPPP (we are SO getting a complicated second layer to where her powers come from)

+no shot, if anyone sneaks canon comparisons between Elsa and Fenrir into this, I'll need to be fettered

I know we explore Norse mythology plenty in the Frozen expanded material. We get Skøll as Hans' heartless in KH3, draugr in Polar Nights, and viking constellations in Forest of Shadows (they also pull Aren's mythical sword out of a viking dragon-ship and use it to fight a giant nattmara wolf, so). Usually a lot of the viking-age Scandinavian legend, such as creatures mentioned in the Eddas, are tied to specifically Arendelle's history though.

This promo seems to imply that the Enchanted Forest has some connection with Asgard (I am assuming it is Asgard for now). Or at least we are geographically taking off from there.

Which could come at the expense of Northuldra story? Diff culture. Not every fairytale race is related to the Enchanted Forest, or needs to be-- we have the trolls in the Valley of the Living Rock and Huldrefólk at Miner's Mountain. Although! Nøkk is a more Norse legend as well, yet acts as Northuldra's respected water spirit, so: not unlikely that the Northuldra may honor the existence of Norse spirits. (They may not even appear much at all.)

ohhh fuck. i can smell the magnus chase crossovers three years away. what have you DONE /lh

but I'm just so so excited. What if the crystals from F2 were runic and Anna learned galdr so she could have a moment like Gerda's magic prayer in the Snow Queen? What if we had magical ravens, like the talking ravens in the Hans Christian Andersen fable? What if Elsa argued with the Nornir about destiny, or Olaf bantered with Heimdall and unintentionally caused Ragnarok? What if Kristoff accidentally used Andvari's ring for the vows and gave us the most glorious Disney dragon moment since Maleficent? And come on, Anna with a battleaxe and bloodlust?!

Ironically, first seeing this was the direction after F2, I felt unfavorably about stacking on brand new lore, thinking it might rehash the "newfound community arc" which would make it infuriatingly harder to develop old and new relationships from previous movies (for weak reasons)

This is because Elsa's new power from Frozen II wasn’t really something magical: she still has ice, she’s always had ice, and it’s not like her ice got any more OP than it already was. (F1 already proved she can bring snowmen to life, build entire castles in less than five minutes, and freeze a whole ass fjord. I don't think stopping the flood or talking to a sentient glacier topped all that.) What she gained was fellowship with other magical beings and people who understand magic-- a community to help. Not to mention the closure in knowing that her mother would have accepted her, affirmation that she has a purpose, and freedom to assume new roles.

I do want the new movie to spend time using the new lore to steady our characters though, not the other way around. Can't always become something new to move forward, yknow? Gotta nurture what she has instead of breaking the absolute ceiling eventually.

but seeing them break the absolute ceiling is liberating every time so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

actually wait. who's running arendelle right now?

First piece of concept art for Frozen 3 (2027) by Brittney Lee revealed at D23 Expo 2024

Baldr, the norse god of light, depicted with the magic ring Draupnir on his arm.

This is actually one of my non-digital paintings, the original painting is acrylic on canvas board ^_^

Watercolour of Baldr, Norse god of innocence and joy with the ravens Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) (^◡^)

My Ruby Squad

Here’s a challenge I participated in in Amino. It was to turn gemsonas into God’s so I chose the Norse Deities known and the Norns (Norms)

For the gems I chose my Ruby squad who may end up named after the Norns idk yet.

They belong to one of my Diamonds, Brown Diamond and work as an elite team who protect various gems when in diplomatic missions.

Forehead is playing Skald: what will be

She is a very “monk” like character who is very quiet but temperamental. She hides it well.

Stomach is playing Verdandi: what is presently coming into being

She is the warrior of the three and is often “tsundere” acting as though she doesn’t care when in fact she cares deeply

Chest is playing Urd: the past

She is the leader. She often mistaken for a naive child due to her laid back attitude and her young age but she’s actually a natural leader and very good at her job.

Day 23 - Kaiju

Loki as a teen, playing Midgardian card games be like:

...This makes me wonder about the Avengers during Uno though

I'm late for this meme, but i don't care, tbh, I HAD to draw this.

A norse runework starter pack!

Because runework is basically at the core of my craft, I use it all the time and I’m already more than familiar with it. Runework is super easy to incorporate into everyday life and it’s got a wide range of use so I truly recommend. It feels safe and reliable, and I don’t need to put a lot of time or focus on them. Now let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns.

Their story real quick:

So in His endless search for knowledge, Odin the Allfather hung Himself and was pierced by His own spear in order to be alone with Himself. He accepted no bread and no mead until He found the truth He’d been looking for. And He did: through the darkness of His own mind, Odin saw the runes and reached for them. It was told they were so powerful He could bring a man back from the dead using them.

The basics:

The runic alphabet, otherwise called Futhark. Because I’m a history nerd I try to use the “elder futhark” as much as possible, though there’s a new one going around that’s really popular too.

The more complicated stuff:

Vegvisir (you’ll often find it depicted inside a rune circle like the second pic, especially on jewelry and pendants): Vegvisir is first and foremost a compass, and its name translated from Icelandic quite literally means “that which shows the way”. Historians speculate that its shape might be derived from old sailing wayfinders in Scandinavia, thus its association with the compass. It’s supposed to guide one’s way through the storm, according to a line in the Huld manuscript. (x, y)

Aegishjalmur (Helm of Awe): Protection, protection, protection! That’s what it’s about. All of its branches are considered to be “guarding” the center, thus making it a major protection rune. Once you get the gist of it, it’s super easy to draw and useful. If you’re a fan of dragons like me, perhaps you know Fafnir’s invicibility was drawn from this rune, as stated in the Fáfnismál: The Helm of Awe | I wore before the sons of men | In defense of my treasure; | Amongst all, I alone was strong, | I thought to myself, | For I found no power a match for my own. (x, y) 

Aight quick presentation for other complex runes:

Now; How do I use runes? Where do I put them? 

Draw them anywhere and everywere. I wouldn’t recommend painting a ten-feet inguz on the closest police station but there’s still tons of places where runes can be useful. I draw them inside my wrists and close to pulse points, as way of “pumping” them into my system, so to speak. I write them down to focus my intent during rituals, choosing the one/s I need most atm. In a similar way, I envision them during meditation to clarify my intent. I also use them to decorate altars or devotional art. If you’re a norse pagan like me, maybe look up what runes your main deities are associated with! Quick rundown:

Odin is usually othala or ansuz

I often see Freyja associated with fehu, but that’s also the case for most of the Aesir

Tyr with teiwaz

Thor with thurisaz or uruz; etc…

What about bind runes?

By definition and according to historical speculation, bind runes are futhark runes which were merged into a single glyph (sometimes by carving them all on a single straight line, like oghams). They were super rare back in the viking age but they’ve become popular in the last few years.

People create them according to their needs. This aspect makes bind runes extremely versatile and personal because you can set really specific intents for them. They’re not exactly like sigils, though: when it comes to sigils, feeling and instinct usually guide people’s creation process. As for futhark bind runes, they’re made using existing glyphs from this specific alphabet. Here’s a bunch of bind runes that have been going around, just to give you guys a few ideas of what they can look like:

OKAYYY that’s all for me, time to sleep

THERE'S A FUCKING NORSE MYTHOLOGY REFERENCE IN BLOODY RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES AND NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT?!!!???

Okay, first off, the only reason I know this is because I did a presentation on the Norse god Odin for school, so like, Kudos to my teacher.

The following will state the reasons I believe that Baron Draxum is a Norse mythology reference to Odin, the Norse God Of War.

ANYWAYS!

We can see that Baron Draxum is first shown as,

DRAXUM!

--A menacing, towering figure with two "gargoyles" perched on each of his shoulders respectively in a bird-like manner. Both these creatures also have bird-like qualities, resembling monstrous crows with beady red eyes.

--Obsessed with war against humanity, or just war in general. (At least in season one.)

--Can be described as God-like. He literally refers to himself as Baron Draxum, Baron meaning a person of royal nobility or high status, also commonly being referred to as "Lord."

Now, why am I going around saying he's a Norse Mythology reference?

Well, just listen to the charecteristics of Odin, Norse God Of War!

ODIN!

---A menacing, towering figure with two crows perched on each of his shoulders respectively in a bird-like manner.

--Obsessed with war within humanity, or just war in general.

--Is literally God-like. He's a God.

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Is that not enough to convince you? Good, because it wasn't for me either!

Whats the real kicker? The undeniable evidence that this is truly a reference?

LAUGHS EVILLY!

Well you see, the names of the gargoyles belonging to Baron Draxum are "Huggin and Munnin."

And the names of Odins crows?

HUGINN AND MUNINN!

And just like Odin's Huginn and Muninn, Draxum's Huginn and Muninn fly around and gather him info and run his errands.

Huginn means Thought,

Muninn means Memory.

Anywho, I've literally never seen anybody else talk about this ever, so if I could be the first, I think that would be AWESOME!!! (But I doubt I am...)

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K, I'm done rambling. Back to the shadows I retreat!

Drawing done for @knowledge-from-the-abyss , Hel! Norse Goddess of the dead and daughter of Loki!

My Comms are open!

List of interesting ressources pertaining to norse paganism, scandinavian folklore and history, and nordic religions in general

These are sources I have personally used in the context of my research, and which I've enjoyed and found useful. Please don’t mind if I missed this or that ressource, as for this post, I focused solely on my own preferences when it comes to research. I may add on to this list via reblog if other interesting sources come to my mind after this has been posted. Good luck on your research! And as always, my question box is open if you have any questions pertaining to my experiences and thoughts on paganism.

Mythology

The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion

Dictionnary of Northern Mythology

The Prose and Poetic Eddas (online)

Grottasöngr: The Song of Grotti (online)

The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes

The Wanderer's Hávamál

The Song of Beowulf

Rauðúlfs Þáttr

The Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings (Kevin Crossley-Holland's are my favorite retellings)

Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and the Sagas (online) A source that's as old as the world, but still very complete and an interesting read.

The Elder Eddas of Saemung Sigfusson

Pocket Hávamál

Myths of the Pagan North: Gods of the Norsemen

Lore of the Vanir: A Brief Overview of the Vanir Gods

Anglo-Saxon and Norse Poems

Gods of the Ancient Northmen

Gods of the Ancient Northmen (online)

Two Icelandic Stories: Hreiðars Þáttr and Orms Þáttr

Two Icelandic Stories: Hreiðars Þáttr and Orms Þáttr (online)

Sagas

Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes: Hervor and Heidrek & Hrólf Kraki and His Champions (compiling the Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks and the Hrólfs saga kraka)

Icelandic Saga Database (website)

The Saga of the Jómsvíkings

The Heimskringla or the Chronicle of the Kings of Norway (online)

Stories and Ballads of the Far Past: Icelandic and Faroese

Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway

The Saga of the Volsungs: With the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok

The Saga of the Volsungs (online) Interesting analysis, but this is another pretty old source.

The Story of the Volsungs (online) Morris and Magnusson translation

The Vinland Sagas

Hákon the Good's Saga (online)

History of religious practices

The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia

Nordic Religions in the Viking Age

Agricola and Germania Tacitus' account of religion in nordic countries

Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions

Tacitus on Germany (online)

Scandinavia and the Viking Age

Viking Age Iceland

Landnámabók: Book of the Settlement of Iceland (online)

The Age of the Vikings

Gesta Danorum: The Danish History (Books I-IX)

The Sea Wolves: a History of the Vikings

The Viking World

Guta Lag: The Law of the Gotlanders (online)

The Pre-Christian Religions of the North This is a four-volume series I haven't read yet, but that I wish to acquire soon! It's the next research read I have planned.

Old Norse Folklore: Tradition, Innovation, and Performance in Medieval Scandinavia

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings

The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings by John Haywood

Landnámabók: Viking Settlers and Their Customs in Iceland

Nordic Tales: Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark For a little literary break from all the serious research! The stories are told in a way that can sometimes get repetitive, but it makes it easier to notice recurring patterns and themes within Scandinavian oral tradition.

Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction

Saga Form, Oral Prehistory, and the Icelandic Social Context

An Early Meal: A Viking Age Cookbook and Culinary Oddyssey

Runes & Old Norse language

Uppland region runestones and their translations

Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Icelandic Sagas and Viking Language 2: The Old Norse Reader

Catalogue of the Manks Crosses with Runic Inscriptions

Old Norse - Old Icelandic: Concise Introduction to the Language of the Sagas

A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture

Nordic Runes: Understanding, Casting, and Interpreting the Ancient Viking Oracle 

YouTube channels

Ocean Keltoi

Arith Härger

Old Halfdan

Jackson Crawford

Wolf the Red

Sigurboði Grétarsson

Grimfrost

(Reminder! The channel "The Wisdom of Odin", aka Jacob Toddson, is a known supporter of pseudo scientific theories and of the AFA, a folkist and white-supremacist organization, and he's been known to hold cult-like, dangerous rituals, as well as to use his UPG as truth and to ask for his followers to provide money for his building some kind of "real life viking hall", as supposedly asked to him by Óðinn himself. A source to avoid. But more on that here.)

Websites

The Troth

Norse Mythology for Smart People

Voluspa.org

Icelandic Saga Database

Skaldic Project

Life in Norway This is more of a tourist's ressources, but I find they publish loads of fascinating articles pertaining to Norway's history and its traditions.

What always bothers me with modern depictions of Thor and hammer is the idea that mjolnir has to be this large, heavy head that would weigh an insane amount on a wooden handle.

Have you ever seen a mjolnir pendant? It's one piece; that fact is pulled straight from the eddas.

If the hammer wielded by the strongest man of Asgard was one piece of iron (steel faced for strength), it had to be huge and weigh a metric butt-ton or was rather small but hit like a brick. The latter would've been just as intimidating, if not more, since that thing once flattened a mountain in one swing.

"Yes, you may be able to *lift* the hammer, but you'll never be able to *use* it."

Just another philosophy point on the character of Þoŕ Oðinson.