Norsegods

Gods

As in most ancient civilizations, there were many gods in Norse myth. What was different about them, though, is that they were seperated into two species! One specie was called the Aesir, and this included Odin, Thor, Balder, Ull and others. The Vanir included Freya, Freyr, and Njord and they were always at war with the Aesir. Odin was the chief god, and the god of war, death, poetry, and wisdom. His eldest son was Thor, god of thunder. Thor had three magical items: a belt, a hammer, and a pair of gloves. Heimdall was the watchman of the gods, and guarded Asgard and Bifrost. Heimdall can see for 100 miles, needs almost no sleep, and can hear everything. Aegir was god of the sea, and it was thought that he occasionally took boats and their crew from the surface of the water. Because of this, captains would often sacrifice a slave before a journey at sea. Balder was the god of light, and saw almost everything. The runes were carved on Balder's tongue. Loki was the god of mischief. He was considered to be Aesir, but could sometimes be evil. A few other gods were Forseti, the god of justice and Astrild, the Goddess of love.

Freyr, the rain god

Thor riding his chariot.

One type of Goddess, of which there were quite a few, were the Valkyries. Their name means "choosers of the slain", and that's just what they were. The Valkyries chose warriors who had died in battle and took them up to Valhalla. When they got there, they served food for the dead warriors first meal. Valkyries had special feathered cloaks, and with them they could turn into swans. They wove a raven banner, and it was used to predict the outcome of a war. At peace times it was white, but when a war was in progress, a raven's head appeared, and it's facial position showed the outcome of the war. It was thought that the reflections of the Valkyries' shields created the northern lights. There were many Valkyries, and each ones name meant something. Here are the translations of a few:

Sigrun- "Victory Rune"
Skoul- "Battle"
Pruor- "Power"
Sigrdrifa- "Victory Blizzard"
Hlokk- "Din of Battle"
Goll- "Battle Cry"
Randgrior- "Shield of Peace"

The chief of the Valkyries was Freya, the goddess of beauty and fertility. Freya rode on a golden boar, or on in a chariot drawn by cats. Freya also had a feathered cloak, but she was able to turn into a falcon.