The 5 best myths of Viking mythology

Viking mythology is not unknown to most. In fact, we constantly find her in movies, novels, and even comics. From The Lord of the rings, by Tolkien, which includes a multitude of elements from Norse mythology (without going any further, Middle-earth, which is directly inspired by the Scandinavian Mig-gard) to comic characters like the famous Thor.

The Vikings were an eminently warrior people. In fact, his admiration for fallen warriors knew no bounds: that was the most cherished death. For this reason, its mythology is full of myths that speak of victories on the battlefield, and even its Armaggedon. In particular, the Ragnarok, is a song to the vanquished warriors, since even the gods themselves perish in the fray. In this article we propose a brief but intense journey through Viking mythology through 5 of its most famous myths.

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Great myths of Viking and Scandinavian mythology

The word "Vikings" is quite general; refers to the peoples who, coming from the north, attacked Europe in the Middle Ages. Thus, as we are dealing with various peoples (including Swedes, Norwegians or Danes), we have preferred to use the term "Scandinavian" to refer to their mythology. Thus, we will talk about Scandinavian mythology and its best-known myths.

1. The giant that gave birth to the world

In the beginning, and as in all mythologies, there was only Nothing. However, the Scandinavian case is peculiar because, On both sides of the Nothing, there were two kingdoms: that of fire, called Múspelheim, and that of ice, Níflheim.. When these two realities met in Nothing, there was a huge explosion that gave birth to life.

From this explosion a colossal giant arose, Ýmir, from which the rest of the giants descend. In Scandinavian mythology, giants are often dark and evil creatures, but the truth is that even the gods have a share of giant blood. Tradition explains that those who were formed from the union of fire with Elivágar, one of the poisonous sources of the kingdom of ice, carried the poison in their souls and that is why they were evil. The others, like the god Buri (ancestor of the gods), were good.

This dichotomy between giants (Evil) and gods (Good) is found in other mythologies; for example, in the Greek, where the Titans symbolize Chaos, and the gods, Order. In both mythologies, both coming from a primary Indo-European source, gods and giants/titans face off in a cosmic battle.

The giant Ýmir faced Odin and his brothers and died. The myth tells us that, from the corpse of the giant, the gods built the world. From the abundant blood that flowed from the dead body, the oceans, seas and rivers were formed. Next, Odin and his men took the giant's flesh and with it they shaped the earth. From this land arose the race of dwarves.

The gods did not stop here. With the bones of Ýmir they created the rocks and the mountains; with hair, trees and plants. Then they suspended the huge skull of Ýmir above the earth they had created, and placed four dwarves at the four ends (North, South, East, and West) to support it forever. Finally, the giant's shattered brain gave rise to the clouds.

When the gods contemplated their creation, they realized that everything was too dark. Then they took the ashes of Múspelheim, the kingdom of fire, and scattered them through the skies; thus, the stars were born.

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2. Odin hangs from the cosmic tree to reach wisdom

As we can see, the world of Scandinavian mythology is quite complex. There are actually different lands in the Viking universe: nine, to be exact. Each of them hangs from a branch of the cosmic tree, called Yggdrásill. In the roots of this tree lives an enormous serpent-dragon, Níthog, who eternally gnaws the bark of the tree, threatening to destroy it and thus cause the end of the worlds: Ragnarok.

One day, Odin, the lord of the heavenly gods, wanted to know what the secret of the runes was. Whoever knew these secrets would be endowed with immense power and would be above all other creatures. The only way to reveal that secret was to pass a terrible test: Odin had to remain hanging by the neck from one of the branches of Yggdrásill, for nine days and nine nights. The test was truly terrifying, and even Odin, the father of the gods, was afraid. For nine days and nine nights he hung from the cosmic tree, swaying in the hurricane currents of air and enveloped in absolute blackness.

Finally, Odin passed the test and was given the secrets of the runes. He became ruler of gods and men and established his domain in Ásgard., the abode of the heavenly gods. It is necessary to clarify that, in Scandinavian mythology, there were two classes of gods: the Aenir, to which Odin belonged, his wife Frigg or Thor, among others, and the Vanir, who were minor gods, more related to fertility, the sea and the crops. It is not unreasonable to venture that the Vanir were much older gods, and that the arrival of peoples Indo-Europeans, who had a pantheon more related to the elements, introduced the Aenir gods into the culture scandinavian From then on, both families of gods coexisted.

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3. The gods eat apples to stay forever young.

The Aesir always looked young and beautiful. And this was not because, as gods, they were immune to the passage of time. The Scandinavian gods, like most of the gods of the Indo-European cultures, were linked to becoming and life. Actually, the only thing that differentiated them from human beings was their extraordinary powers; but old age, weakness, and decay could take their toll at any moment.

But Odin and his companions had a secret. In the lands of Ásgard there was a beautiful garden, where Ídunn, the goddess of spring, lovingly cultivated some beautiful and tasty golden apples. These golden fruits had the gift of granting eternal youth and beauty, which is why the gods ate them daily. Ídunn was in charge of caring for and protecting them, which is why she never left the walls of Ásgard. The apples could never be left alone; they were too coveted a prize.

But behold, one day, Loki, the cunning being who lived with the gods, did his thing again. He scuffled with a colossal eagle that seized him in its steel talons and lifted him into the air. Loki begged to be released, but the eagle, who turned out to be a mighty giant, refused to do so.

Finally, Loki made a pact with the giant: he would get Ídunn, through deception, from the fortress of Ásgard, and he would also get her to take her golden apples with her. The giant-eagle agreed, and set Loki back on the ground.

So did the trickster. The next day he appeared before the prudent Ídunn and told her that she had seen, outside the walls, a tree very similar to her apple tree. She smiled sweetly and shook her head; it was completely impossible, her apples were unique. However, Loki insisted so much that doubt settled in Ídunn's heart. Full of curiosity, he agreed to leave Ásgard with a chest full of her apples kept in his chest, so that she could compare his fruits with those that were supposedly outside the fortress.

The misfortune did not wait. The giant-eagle grabbed poor Ídunn by her back and flew her away. The poor goddess, terrified, had not let go of her box full of apples.

Upon learning of the disappearance of Ídunn, the gods panicked, since, without the golden apples, old age and weakness would begin to devour them. When Odin found out that he was to blame for everything, again, Loki threatened to torture him if he did not find a solution. Loki, repentant, asked Freyja, the goddess of love, for her feather cloak so that he could fly, turned into a falcon, towards the abode of the giant-eagle and rescue Ídunn.

The company was very difficult, and it is true that Loki was not the strongest being in creation, but he was the most cunning. Taking advantage of the fact that both the giant and his daughter had left, she perched, still in her falcon form, at the window of the tower where Ídunn was locked up, and said to him: “Don't be scared! I am Loki. Now I will turn you into a nut, and I will take you with my claws to get you out of here.

That's how it went. With the nut on his back, Loki took flight towards Ásgard. However, the giant's daughter, Skadi, had seen it all, and warned her father. Soon an intense race through the skies began, in which the giant-eagle madly chased the falcon. When they approached the walls of Ásgard, the gods prepared a mountain of logs. Loki entered Asgard in a flash, and behind him did the giant. At the moment the eagle grazed the pile of logs, the god Tyr threw a flaming torch, which immediately set the mountain on fire and engulfed the eagle's body in flames.

The giant was dead, and Loki and Ídunn were safe. The young goddess returned to her normal appearance and distributed the golden apples among the restless gods. That night, at the banquet, all the Aesir were once again young and beautiful.

4. sigurd and the dragon

Sigurd, also called Siegfried in some sagas, is the quintessential hero of Scandinavian mythology.. He was the son of Sigmund, a powerful king. When his father dies, his mother remarries the son of the King of Denmark. The new husband, Alf, puts Sigurd under the tutelage of a blacksmith named Regin, who is none other than the brother of the dragon Fafnir, a horrifying creature that guards a priceless treasure.

In other versions, Regin is Mime, a dwarf. Be that as it may, he is envious and full of greed. He covets Fafnir's treasure, but he is aware that he alone cannot defeat the fearsome dragon. Therefore, he uses his cunning to deceive the young Sigurd, and convinces him to take his horse Grani and his Gram's sword, forged from the remains of his father's invincible sword, and set off in search of the treasure. "I will accompany you," Regin tells him, "I know those lands and I know the way."

Thus, the young Sigurd and his guardian arrive at the cave where the beast lives. When Sigurd was already raising his sword to go in to kill the creature, Regin warns him: "Take care that not a drop of the dragon's blood touches your skin, or you will die burned." Sigurd was already beginning to be suspicious of the advice of his tutor, since he sensed that a dark intention was hidden behind them. And so it was. Thanks to a wise old man that he met on the way to the cave, and to the birds that advised him along the way, Sigurd learned that Regin had lied to him; Dragon's blood did not kill, but instead granted immortality, which was precisely what Regin did not want for Sigurd.

The young man waited for the dragon to come out to drink from the stream that surrounded the cave, and then, using his cunning, his strength, and the invincible sword of his father, he killed the creature. Immediately afterwards, he stripped off his clothes and bathed in the torrent of blood that flowed from the monster's wounds, with the bad luck that, on his back, a twig had stuck to him that caused a part of his body to be at the mercy of the death. Sigurd, for the moment, did not realize it. After his bath of immortality, he entered the cave and took a helmet and a magic ring: the first transformed people, and the second gave its bearer everything he wanted.

When he returned to Regin's side, as they both roasted the dragon's heart to eat, the blacksmith tried to stab the young man. His intention was to get it out of the way so he could keep all the gold. Sigurd was faster and, with a swift movement, lopped off its head. Then, full of curiosity, he went back into the cave. What was his surprise when he saw, among the piles and piles of magnificent gold, an enormous and luxurious bed, on top of which lay what looked like a dead or sleeping warrior.

Sigurd walked over to the recumbent figure and removed its helmet. His surprise increased when he saw that he was not a warrior, but a beautiful woman. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she stared at him. Then he smiled. "I am a Valkyrie of Odin," explained the young woman. “The lord of the gods promised a warrior victory in combat, and I disobeyed his orders and caused the warrior's defeat, because he did not deserve to win. Odin was enraged and condemned me to stay here, asleep. My destiny was to marry the first mortal to appear in the cave. Fortunately, it was you."

Sigurd smiled and kissed her on the lips. Sígurd and Brýnhild, which was the name of the Valkyrie, got married. The myth, however, does not end here. Sígurd and Brýnhild's adventures continue. We let you investigate to find out the end of this fascinating story.

5. Ragnarok or the "fate of the gods"

In Scandinavian mythology there is a terrifying story about the end of the world, very similar to the Christian Apocalypse, in which the forces of Evil (the monstrous creatures of primeval Chaos) face off in a cosmic struggle against the forces of Good (the order established by the gods). The myth tells us that the first to realize the arrival of Ragnarok will be human beings, who they inhabit the Mig-gard (the Middle Earth), since wars and murders between relatives will abound. Desolation will spread across the land, and then a monstrous winter will come.

The giants of Múspelheim, the World Serpent, the wolf Fenrir, the souls of Hel (the monstrous realm where sinful humans end up), led by the traitor Loki, will face the gods. Odin will ride his horse Sleipnir, Freyja will race in his chariot drawn by cats, Thor in his chariot drawn by goats; they will all be followed by the souls of Valhalla, the warriors who died in combat, and who, in reward, live eternity in an endless banquet. However, it will all be in vain. Chaos will win, and the world of the gods will come to an end.

Legend says that two human beings, a man and a woman, during the cosmic battle, will hide in the Yggdrásill tree., and that these will be, effectively, the parents of the new humanity. Because after Chaos, Order will come again, and the gods will be reborn in a new era of stability and peace.