Norse Mythology

In Norse mythology, Bifröst (also spelled Bifrost) is the bridge connecting Midgard, the human world, with Asgard, the realm of the gods. Heimdall guards its entrance to heaven, and the…

Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is a giant sea serpent in Norse mythology and one of Thor’s deadliest enemies. According to Snorri Sturluson’s Gylfaginning, he…

Fenrir is one of the most feared figures in Norse mythology, a monstrous wolf whose fate is tied directly to Odin and Ragnarök. The son of Loki and the giantess…

The Valkyries were supernatural women in Norse mythology associated with battle, death, and Odin. Their Old Norse name, valkyrja, means “chooser of the slain,” but that role was more complex…

The Norns are among the most mysterious figures in Norse mythology, supernatural women associated with fate, lifespan, and the course of events. The best known are Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld,…

The Aesir-Vanir War is one of the earliest major conflicts in Norse mythology, fought between the two groups of gods known as the Aesir and the Vanir. Unlike Ragnarök or…

Valhalla is often described as the Viking version of heaven, where every warrior who died bravely in battle was rewarded with an eternal feast. The Norse sources give a more…

Ragnarök is the great catastrophe of Norse mythology, the moment when the old order collapses. A terrible winter grips the world, social bonds break down, Fenrir and Jörmungandr are unleashed,…

The Nine Worlds of Norse mythology are usually described as the different realms that make up the Norse cosmos, including Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Niflheim, Muspell, Hel, and one…

Yggdrasil is the great World Tree of Norse mythology, a vast sacred tree at the center of the Norse cosmos, linking the worlds of gods, humans, jötnar, the dead, and…

The Norse creation myth does not begin with gods building a finished universe from nothing. It begins with a vast empty space called Ginnungagap, bordered by forces of cold and…