Odin

Odin was the ruler of the Aesir, a group of deities in Norse mythology. Sometimes called Allfather, Odin played a central role in myths about the creation and destruction of the world. He was the god of battle and also of wisdom, magic, and poetry. His name means "fury" or "frenzy," the quality of fierce inspiration that guided warriors and poets alike. Odin probably originated in the myths of early Germanic peoples, who called him Wo3anaz. The name of the fourth day of the week, Wednesday, comes from Woden's-day, the god's Old English name. Odin was married to Frigg, the guardian of marriage. Odin was credited with great wisdom, including knowledge of magic and divination. He had paid a high price for this gift, however, giving one of his eyes in exchange for a drink from the well of Mimir. The waters of this well, which seeped from among the roots of the World Tree Yggdrasill, contained great wisdom. Another myth says that Odin stabbed himself with his magical spear, called Gungnir, and hung from Yggdrasill for nine days and nights in a living death. This self-sacrifice gave him knowledge of the runes, the Norse symbols used for writing and fortune-telling. Yet although Odin was wise, he could also be sly and treacherous. It was not unusual, for example, for him to break his word or to turn people against each other to start conflicts.

Thor

Thor is one of the three main gods of the Norse. The other two were Odin and Frey. Thor is described as the “strongest of all gods and men”. Thor is the son of Odin and Iord. It is also said that he is the son of Odin and Frigg. Thor’s wife is called Sif. His children are Magni (his mother is Iarnsaxa), Modi, and Thrud. He is a stepfather to Ull. He is the foster son of Vingnir and Hlora. He lives in a place called Thrudvanger. His hall is called Bilskirnir. It’s said there are 540 rooms. It is supposed to be the biggest building ever built. Thor is best known for his hammer, which is called Mjollner (which means the ‘crusher’). It is best known for being used to kill frost-giants. Thor would throw the hammer at the frost-giant. The hammer would then kill the frost-giant (often described as ‘breaking their skull’) and automatically fly back into Thors hand. Thors hammer was often used for other things. One tale tells how he would eat his goats. Then he would raise his hammer to bless the bones and skin and they would come back alive. Other tales tell how he would consecrate and bless things with it as well, such as feasts and weddings. Thors hammer is actually flawed. It’s handle is too short. While the dwarf called Eitri was forging the hammer Loki, a trickster who always caused problems for the gods, turned himself into a fly. He landed on his eyelild and nibbed at it causing blood to go into his eyes. Eitri quickly lifted his hand to sweep the fly away, distracting him from his forging. This caused the defect of the handle being too short. The hammer is said that it will never fail at whatever it is struck at. If it is thrown at something it will never miss. Once thrown it will come back to the hand that thrown it. The hammer also had the ability to become so small that he could put it in his shirt. The hammer was one of six treasures that Loki had dwarfs make. Loki had originally cut off the hair of Sif, the wife of Thor, which infuriated Thor. He made Loki replace the hair. Loki had black dwarfs, called Ivaldi’s sons, to make the hair. In addition, they made Skidbaldnir (a ship that went wherever it was intended and could be folded up and put in ones shirt), and Gungnir (Odin’s spear). He then made a wager that they could not make better treasures, so he made the dwarf Eitri make three more: a boar with bristles of gold, draupnir (a ring that, every ninth night, dropped eight rings of the same weight), and Thor’s hammer. Of these six treasures it was decided that Thor’s hammer was the best.

Freyer

Freyr is a god who belongs to the Vanir tribe of deities. He’s also an honorary member of the other tribe of Norse gods, the Aesir, having arrived in their fortress, Asgard, as a hostage at the closing of the Aesir-Vanir War. Freyr was one of the most widely and passionately venerated divinities amongst the heathen Norse and other Germanic peoples. One Old Norse poem calls him “the foremost of the gods” and “hated by none.” The reasons for this aren’t hard to understand; their well-being and prosperity depended on his benevolence, which particularly manifested itself in sexual and ecological fertility, bountiful harvests, wealth, and peace. His role in providing health and abundance was often symbolized by his fylgja, the boar Gullinborsti (“Golden-Bristled”), and by his enormous, erect phallus. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that Freyr was a frequent recipient of sacrifices at various occasions, such as the blessing of a wedding or the celebration of a harvest. During harvest festivals, the sacrifice traditionally took the form of his favored animal, the boar. His father is Njord, and his mother is Njord’s unnamed sister (presumably Nerthus). Freyr himself has been the lover of numerous goddesses and giantesses, including his own sister, Freya. Apparently incest is a common and acceptable practice among the Vanir (although amongst the historical Germanic peoples it certainly wasn’t). Freyr’s residence is Alfheim, the homeland of the elves. This could mean that Freyr is the ruler of the elves, but since this is never stated explicitly in the surviving sources, it must remain a fascinating conjecture. The relationship between the gods and the elves is sufficiently ambiguous to allow for a number of possible connections between Freyr and the elves.

Freya

Freya is the Goddess of love in Norse mythology, but she is also associated with sex, lust, beauty, sorcery, fertility, gold, war and death. The name Freya (in Old Norse “Freyja)” means “lady”, and can also be spelled (Freya, Freija, Frejya, Freyia, Fröja, Frøya, Frøjya, Freia, Freja, Frua and Freiya). She does not originate from the Aesir but she is from the Vanir, she and two other Gods was sent to the Aesir by the Vanir as a token of truce, in return the Aesir also sent two Gods to the Vanir. Freya became an honorable member of the Aesir after the war between the Aesir and Vanir ended. Freya is the daughter of Njord and his sister Nerthus, and she has a twin brother named Freyr. Freya is married to the God Odr, but he somehow disappeared but it might be Odin, she has two children with Odr, their names are Hnoss and Gersimi. Some of the weekdays in Norse mythology originate from some of the Gods and Goddesses, and Freya might be associated with the day friday, but there are conflicting sources so it could also be the Goddess Frigg. Freya is incredibly beautiful and she has many admirers, not just among the Gods and Goddesses but also among the dwarves and giants. She loves jewellery and other fine materials and she has quite often used her beauty to get the jewellery she desires. a big passion for poems and loves to sit and listen to songs for many hours. Freya has an unusual gift when she cries her tears turns into amber or gold. Freya loves to travel and she would sometimes take a ride in her chariot pulled by two black or gray cats. But she was also able to fly, by using her cloak of falcon feathers, which she willingly loaned out to the other Gods and Goddesses in Asgard, when they needed to fly to one of the worlds in a hurry. Freya also has a boar named Hildisvini “battle swine” which she rides when she is not using her cat-drawn chariot. It is also said to be Freya’s human lover, Ottar in disguise, and that is the reason why Loki consistently accuses her of being immoral by riding her lover in public.

Loki

Loki is the wily trickster go ion. His familial relations attest to this. His father is the giant Farbauti. His mother is Laufey or Nal. Laufey/Nal could be a goddess, a giantess, or something else entirely – the surviving sources are silent on this point. Loki is the father, by the giantess Angrboda, of Hel, the goddess of the underworld; Jormungand, the great serpent who slays Thor during Ragnarok; and Fenrir, the wolf who bites off one of the hands of Tyr and who kills Odin during Ragnarok – hardly a reputable brood, to say the least. As we’ll see below, Loki demonstrates a complete lack of concern for the well-being of his fellow gods, a trait which could be discerned, in vague outline, merely by considering these offspring of his. With his proper wife Sigyn, he also has a son named Nari or Narfi, whose name might mean “Corpse.” Loki often runs afoul not only of societal expectations, but also of what we might call “the laws of nature.” In addition to the progeny listed above, Loki is also the mother – yes, the mother – of Sleipnir, Odin’s shamanic horse, whom Loki gave birth to after shapeshifting into a mare and courting the stallion Svadilfari, as is recounted in the tale of The Fortification of Asgard. In the tales, Loki is portrayed as a scheming coward who cares only for shallow pleasures and self-preservation. He’s by turns playful, malicious, and helpful, but he’s always irreverent and nihilistic. For example, in the tale of The Kidnapping of Idun, Loki, by his recklessness, ends up in the hands of a furious giant, Thiazi, who threatens to kill Loki unless he brings him the goddess Idun. Loki complies in order to save his life, and then finds himself in the awkward position of having the gods threaten him with death unless he rescues Idun. He agrees to this request for the same base motive, shifting his shape into that of a falcon and carrying the goddess back to Asgard in his talons. Thiazi pursues him desperately in the form of an eagle, but, having almost caught up with Loki as he nears his destination, the gods light a fire around the perimeter of their fortress. The flames catch Thiazi and burn him to death, while Idun and Loki reach the halls of the gods safely. Loki ultimately comes to the aid of the gods, but only to rectify a calamity for which he himself is responsible. This theme is repeated in numerous tales, such as in The Creation of Thor’s Hammer and the aforementioned The Fortification of Asgard.

Baldur

Balder is the god of almost all that is good. He is associated with everything that is beautiful and joyous in the world. Like the much beloved Freyr, Balder was a friendly and kind spirit. Unlike Freyr, however, he was not particularly mighty, nor endowed with great power as Thor might have been. Everyone loved to be around Balder. Wherever he went and whoever he spent his time with, the encounter was inevitably joyous. As with the god Freyr, Balder is shown to us as a tall and handsome man with long hair and a thick beard. He is muscular and wears only a loincloth and a cape. Some paintings, perhaps from later interpretations, also show him with armor or a tunic, but the bare-chested version seems more popular. Balder can be seen with a shield and a spear, but not often in a stance ready for battle, showing that he is not a warlike god. He appears with his spear pointing downwards, and his shield standing on the ground. Baldr is one of the two sons of Odin and Frigg. He had a twin brother by the name of Hodr, who was blind. His wife was Nanna, who was a daughter of the god Nep. Together, they had a son, Forseti. Their son is the god of justice in the Norse tradition. As with nearly all the gods and creatures from Norse mythology, the main source of information we have on Balder comes from the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda. His name’s meaning is the subject of much argumentation, but the most likely answer is that is simply comes from the Old Norse word for “bold,” which Balder certainly was not, so if this is the correct name, it’s a bit of a mystery as to why. For a god that is beloved, it’s ironic that what he is mostly remembered for in tales is his tragic death. Of course, it’s likely that such a perfect and beloved character was created specifically with the purpose of sharpening the edge of the tragedy, but the fact is that Balder’s death is the god’s greatest and lasting legacy.