More about Norse Legends (and my name :o)
The Song that youa re listening to is "Ride Of The Valkyrie" Which was written by Richard Wagner.
Aegir Norse god of the ocean, and husband of Ran.
Aesir The collective name for the the principal race of Norse gods.
. Amma A great mother in the Norse creation story, Amma ("grandmother") gave birth to the race of Churls, who conducted business and learned trades.
Asgard The home of the Norse gods. To reach this land one had to cross the bridge Bifrost (rainbow). Asgard was divided into a number of separate kingdoms, each ruled over by a different god. Valhalla was ruled by Odin, Thrudheim by Thor, etc.
Askr and Embla (Norse) The first man and first woman and the progenitors of the human race. They were created out of tree trunks by Odin and two of his brothers.
Balder (Norse) Balder was the second son of Odin, chief of the gods, and Frigg. His mother took oaths from all plants, creatures, elements and metals that they would not harm him, all except the mistletoe plant for she felt it was too young and too small to harm him. He was therefore thought to be immune from harm and the other gods, in sport, would throw things at him. Loki, the god of mischief, deceived Hod, a blind god and Balder's brother, into throwing a spear made from mistletoe at Balder, thereby killing him.
Berserk, Berserker (Norse) Grandson of the eight-handed Starkadder and Alfhilde. He always fought ferociously and recklessly, without armor. That's the origin of berserk for a savage fighter, or one with the "fighting fever".
Bifrost The rainbow bridge between Asgard (Scandinavian heaven) and Midgard (earth), that is guarded by Heimdall.
Bragi (Norse) The god of poetry and eloquence, son of Odin. He was married to Idun (Iduna). He is one of the "welcomers" of slain heroes who come to Valhalla. Brunhild, Brünnehilde or Brynhild In Germanic mythology, a mighty female warrior. See Sigfried.
Buri (Norse) Buri, the first god, was the grandfather of Odin.
Edda (Edda means great grandmother, and the term eddas, "tales of great grandmother" is the word used to describe the great stories in Scandinavian mythology.) The dwarfish Edda was the first to create offspring with her husband Ai. She gave birth to the Thralls, the ones "enthralled" to service as food producers.
Eir A companion of Frigg, Eir is the goddess of healing. She taught her art and the secret powers of herbs only to women, the only physicians in ancient Scandinavia.
Frey (Norse) A god of the Vanir race. He was the god of peace, fertility and weather. He was married to Gerd.
Freyja (Freya) (Norse) Goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, sometimes identified as the goddess of battle and death. She was also quite accommodating in sexual matters. She is said to have traded sexual favors to possess the necklace of the Brisings. When it was taken from her by Loki, she started a war of retaliation. Her father was Njord, a fertility god. Blond, blue-eyed, and beautiful, Freya traveled in a chariot drawn by cats. She resided in the celestial realm of Folkvang, where it was her privilege to receive half of all the warriors slain in battle and takes their souls to her hall, Sessrumnir, in Folkvang; the god Odin received the other half at Valhalla. She loves music, spring and flowers, and spends much time with the fey. She is seen wearing a cloak of bird feathers, which allows the wearer to change into a falcon and the beautiful necklace of the Brisings given to her by dwarves, which the Norse still refer to as the Milky Way. In Germany, Freya was sometimes identified with Frigg, the wife of Odin. She was also the sister of the god Frey.
Frigg (Norse) She was Odin's wife and Balder's mother. Friday is named after her. Frigg is the patroness of marriage and motherhood. She assists women in labor and is associated with the naming of children. Frigg has the reputation of knowing everyone's destiny, but never reveals it. Being the wife of the god Odin, she was known as the Queen of the Heavens. She is the central diety in Asgard where her hall, Fensalir ("water halls") is located.
Fulla (Norse) Fulla is Frigg's handmaiden and messenger. Prayers are addressed to her for intercession with Frigg, and for guidance in service.
Gefion (Norse) All women that die unmarried go to Gefion the goddess of virgins. She is also the bringer of good luck and prosperity.
Heimdall (Norse) He is said to be the son of nine mothers. He lived at the foot of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, and guarded it. He was known as the watchman of the gods. Heimdall was the keeper of the Gjallahorn, the "ringing" horn, which he was to sound when Ragnarök, the end of the world, was near. In an Irish myth he is called Rígr, and is considered the father of mankind. He consorted with three women, from whom descend the three classes of mankind: serf(thrall), freeman(karl), and nobleman(jarl).
Hel (Norse) The goddess of the dead. She dwelt beneath one of the three roots of the sacred ash tree Yggdrasil and resides in her hall, Elvidnir (misery) in the underworld of Niflheim, the World of Darkness. She was the daughter of Loki, the spirit of mischief or evil, and the giantess Angerbotha (Angerboda). Odin, the All-Father, hurled Hel into Niflheim, the realm of cold and darkness, itself also known as Hel, over which he gave her sovereign authority. Here the dead suffered unimaginable tortures, except for those who died heroically in battle (who ended up in Valhalla, the Hall of the Heroes). Hel is described as being half white and half black. She is responsible for plagues, sickness and catastrophes.
Idun (Iduna) (Norse) She was the goddess of spring and eternal youth. Wife of Bragi, and guardian of the golden apples of immortality which the gods ate whenever they wanted to renew their youth.
Jörd Mother of Thor and mistress to Odin.
Kvasir He was considered the wisest of all men. He was a teacher, never at loss for an answer to a question. Fjalar and Galar killed him when they became tired of learning and poured his blood into a magic kettle. When mixed with honey this concoction formed mead, which gave wisdom to those who drank it.
Loki (Norse) Loki was a sometimes friend to the gods who admired his clever plans when he was helping them. But he was mischievous and evil too. He was responsible for the death of Balder, Odin's son. Loki had the ability to change his form and even to change his sex. He, through Angrboda, produced Hel, goddess of death, Jörmungand, the evil serpent who was Thor's mortal enemy, and Fenrir, the wolf.
Mimir (Norse) Suppose to have been the wisest of the Aesir tribe of gods.
Modgud (Norse) The servant of Hel, Modgud is the maiden that stands guard on a gold-paved bridge on a path leading to the underworld.
Mothir A mother in the Norse creation myth, Mothir gave birth to the Jarls or leaders, the ones who hunted, fought, and attended school.
Muspelheim (Scandinavian) In Norse mythology a hot, glowing land of fire in the south, where the giant Bergelmer and his wife caught flying sparks and fastened them in the heavens as stars. The "Home of Brightness" to the south of Niflheim, where Surt ruled with his flaming sword, and where lived the sons of Muspel the fire giant.
Njörd (Norse) Also Niord, Niordhr, or Njorthr. The god of the wind and the sea. He was the father of Frey and Freyja by his own sister. He was the protector of ships, who lived at Noatun by the sea-shore. His wife Skadi lives in the mountains because the cries of the gulls disturbs her sleep.
The Norns (Norse) The goddesses of the destinies of both gods and men are the three sisters called Urd (fate), Verdandi (necessity) and Skuld (being).
Nott (Norse) The goddess of night, Nott, is the mother of the earth, Jord, and of the day as well. She rides forth each evening on her horse Frostymane, from whose foaming mouth the dew falls.
Odin Also Odhinn, Woden, Wodan, and Woutan. He is the supreme god and oldest of all in Norse mythology, god of wisdom, poetry, magic, and war. He belonged to the Aesir race of gods. Among his many names is All-father, for he is the father of all the gods. One story about him relates how he acquired great wisdom. Supposedly he gained this wisdom when he hanged himself on the world tree for nine days and nights and was pierced by a spear. This was a spiritual death in which he sacrificed himself to himself. Another story about his acquiring wisdom is that he sacrificed an eye for the privilege of drinking from Mimir, the fountain of wisdom. He had two black ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory), who flew forth each day to gather the news of the world to bring back to Odin. His greatest treasures were Sleipner (an eight-legged horse), Gunger (a spear), and Draupner (a ring).
Ran Ran is goddess of the sea and storms, and wife to the sea god Aegir. She collects the drowned in her net and takes them to her hall located at the bottom of the ocean.
Saga Saga, the all-knowing goddess, is an aspect of Frigg in some mythology tales. She lives at Sinking Beach, a waterfall of cool waves where she offers her guests drinks in golden cups. Her name, which means "omniscience," is applied to the epic heroic tales.
Siegfried or Sigurd Hero of early Germanic mythology. His legend recounts his killing of the dragon Fafnir and winning an accursed hoard of gold, his marriage to Gudrun, his love and betrayal of Brunhild (Brynhild), and his death through Brunhild's jealous contrivance.
Sif Sif is the golden haired wife of Thor and the goddess of crops and fertility.
SjofnSjofn is the goddess to inspire human passions.
Thor (Norse) The god of thunder and lightning, eldest son of Odin, ruler of the gods, and Jord, the earth goddess. Thor was the strongest of the Aesir, the chief gods, whom he helped protect from their enemies, the giants. Thor owed three magical treasures. Mjollnir his hammer (thunderbolt) which when thrown at an enemy returns to Thor. He is able to handle Mjollnir with the second of his treasures, iron-clad gloves. The third treasure is his magic girdle, a belt that increases and replenishes his divine strength when he wears it. Thunder was supposed to be the sound of the rolling of his chariot. Thursday is named for Thor.
Tyr (Tiu, Tiw) (Norse) Son of Odin, and younger brother of Thor. A god of war and of justice. It was he who placed his hand in the mouth of the giant wolf, Fenrir, to show good faith as the rest of the gods, pretending sport but intending a trap, chained the wolf. When Fenrir realized he had been tricked he bit off Tyr's hand. Tuesday is derived from Tyr's name.
Ull (Norse) Ull was the stepson of Thor, the thunder god. He was the god of hunting, and was involved with snowshoes, bow and weapons of war.
Valhalla (Norse) The hall of dead heroes. Heroic warriors, killed in battle, were "stored" here for the advent of Ragnarök, or Doomsday. Odin kept them "alive" in this pleasure palace for that day so they could be at his side.
The Valkyries The Valkyries are beautiful maidens that help Odin choose which brave warrirors will be slain on the battlefield so they may then serve Odin. They are also Odins messengers, and when they ride forth on their winged horses, their armor shines and flickers causing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
Vanir (Norse) They were the other race of gods, who become united with the Aesir. Frey and Njörd were Vanir gods.
Vidar A son of Odin noted for his taciturnity, and his fearless destruction of Fenrir (Fenris).
Ymir (Iceland) The "evil" source of creation in Norse myths. The primeval father of all the Giants of Norse myth. He was fed by the 4 milky streams that flowed from Audhumla, the cow. He fathered the race of frost giants who were enemies of the gods. Ymir grew so large and so evil that Odin and his brothers could no longer live with him. They killed him, and the blood gushed from his body in such torrents (A flood myth) that all the giants except Bergelmer and his wife were killed. These two took refuge on a chest and came to the shores of Jotunheim. From them another race of frost giants was born.
A very special thank you to Grandpa for providing this wonderful information. Please visit his wonderful site to learn more about Myths and Legends from all over the world!
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