Norse Mythology

Glossary

Aegir
In Norse mythology, Aegir is the god of the sea.

Aesir
The Aesir were the principal gods in Norse mythology. They lived in Asgard.

Asgard
In Norse mythology Asgard was the home of the gods.

Balder
In Norse mythology, Balder was the son of Odin and Freya and husband of Nanna, and the best, wisest, and most loved of all the gods. He was killed, at Loki's instigation, by a twig of mistletoe shot by the blind god Hodur.

Berserker
In Norse mythology, a berserker was a warrior whose frenzy in battle transformed him into a wolf or bear howling and foaming at the mouth, and rendered him immune to sword and flame.

Bertha
In Norse mythology, Bertha is the goddess of spinning.

Bragi
In Norse mythology, Bragi is the god of poetry and eloquence. He was married to the goddess Iduna who dwelt in the underworld.

Brono
In Norse mythology, Brono was the son of Baldr. He was the god of daylight.

Bylgja
In Norse mythology, Bylgja is a daughter of Aegir and Ran.

Farbanti
In Norse mythology Farbanti was a giant who ferried the dead over the waters to the underworld. He was the father of Loki.

Fenris
In Norse mythology, Fenris was the monstrous wolf of the god Loki. Fenris swallowed the god Odin but was stabbed to death by Odin's son, Vidar.

Freyr
In Norse mythology, Freyr was Odin in another form as the god of rain, sunshine and fruits. He married Gredr.

Fulla
In Norse mythology, Fulla was attendant to Frigg.

Garm
In Norse mythology, Garm is a hound which stands in front of Hel's home and snarls with jaws dripping blood at the pilgrims from the upper world.

Ginnunggap
In Norse mythology, Ginnunggap was the Yawning Void.

Gioll
In Norse mythology, Gioll was a river which surrounded the underworld, Hel.

Gladsheim
In Norse mythology, Gladsheim was the mansion in Asgard where the gods lived.

Gleipnir
In Norse mythology, Gleipnir is the chain which bounds Fenris. It is made from the footfalls of cats, the beards of women, the roots of mountains and the breath of fish.

Gold-comb
In Norse mythology, Gold-comb is the cock who shall crow when ragnarok comes.

Gotterdammerung
In Norse mythology, Gotterdammerung is the end of the world.

Gulltopr
In Norse mythology, Gulltopr was the horse of Heimdall.

Gullveig
In Norse mythology, Gullveig was the thrice-born and thrice-burnt virgin.

Gungnir
In Norse mythology, Gungnir is Odin's spear, obtained from the Dwarves by Loki for Odin.

Heimdall
In Norse mythology, Heimdall was the watchman of the bridge, Bifrost, which led to the underworld.

Hel
Hel (Hela) was the Norse goddess of the underworld.

Hresvelgr
In Norse mythology, Hresvelgr is a giant who lives in the extreme north and the motion of whose wings causes wind and tempest.

Hunin
In Norse mythology, Hunin was a raven of thought which sat upon Odin's shoulder and brought him news everyday of what was occuring in the world.

Iduna
In Norse mythology, Iduna was the wife of Bragi. She kept golden apples in a box which the gods ate to keep themselves young.

Jormungandr
In Norse mythology, Jormungandr is the great dragon which lives in the Ocean-stream which runs around Midgard.

Jotunheim
In Norse mythology, Jotunheim is the abode of the giants. It is on the edge of the ocean far to the north east.

Kolga
In Norse mythology, Kolga is a daughter of Aegir and Ran.

Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki was one of the Aesir (the principal gods), but the cause of dissension among the gods, and the slayer of Balder. His children are the Midgard serpent Jormungander, which girdles the Earth; the wolf Fenris; and Hela, goddess of death.

Mimir
In Norse mythology, Mimir was a god of wisdom and knowledge. He dwelt by the ash-tree Yggdrasil.

Munin
In Norse mythology, Munin was a raven of memory which sat on Odin's shoulder and along with Hunin brought Odin news each day of what was occuring in the world.

Nastrand
In Norse mythology, Nastrand was the worst region of hell. It's roofs and doors were wattled with hissing snakes, ejecting poison and it was through this that murderers and perjurers were forced to wade as punishment.

Nidhogg
In Norse mythology, Nidhogg is a dragon which devours the corpses of evil doers. He lives in Hwergelmir, in the realm of Hel.

Njord
In Norse mythology, Njord is a sea god of fruitfulness who lives in Noa-tun.

Norn
In Norse mythology, the Norn were three goddesses of fate - the goddess of the past (Urd), the goddess of the present (Verdandi), and the goddess of the future (Skuld).

Norns
In Norse mythology, the Norns were three sisters responsible for the destiny of individuals and gods.

Odin
Odin was chief god of Norse mythology. A sky god, he lived in Asgard, at the top of the world-tree, and from the Valkyries receives the souls of half of the heroic slain warriors, feasting with them in his great hall, Valhalla; the rest are feasted by Freya his wife.

Ogres
In Norse mythology, Ogres are creatures who make the storms and who with their iron clubs strike the earth and send it flying into the air.

Outgard
In Norse mythology, Outgard is the home of giants and monsters.

Ragnarok
In Norse mythology, ragnarok is the ultimate battle between good and evil from which a new order will come.

Ran
In Norse mythology Ran is the wife of Aegir. It is she who uses a net to draw the sailors of sinking ships to their doom.

Runes
The runes are the letters of the alphabet peculiar to the ancient Teutonic peoples of north west Europe. There are 3 runic alphabets; the Norse, with 16 characters, the Anglo-Saxon with 40 and the German. Saxon tradition ascribes the invention of the runes to Woden. Their use reduced under christianity because of their connection with magic. They were used for casting spells as well as divining the future.

Runic wand
A runic wand was a smooth willow wand inscribed with runic characters (runes).

Saga
In Norse mythology, Saga was the daughter of Odin. She was the goddess of poetry.

Seidr
Seidr was a form of Norse magic ascribed to Odin and Gullveig. It was mainly used for harmful purposes.

Skuld
In Norse mythology, Skuld was the Norn of the future.

Sleipnir
In Norse mythology, Sleipnir was the swift horse ridden by Odin.

Surtr
In Norse mythology, Surtr was a giant who lived in the extreme south, and whose flaming sword guarded the bounds of Muspelheim.

Thiassi
In Norse mythology, Thiassi was a giant who slay Thor and cast his eyes up into heaven where they shone thereafter as stars.

Thor
Thor was the Norse god of thunder.

Troll
In Icelandic mythology, Trolls were a race of giants. They appear in various Northern mythologies. In Norse mythology Trolls are represented as a type of goblin.

Tyr
In Norse mythology, Tyr was the god of war and athletic sports. Tyr had one hand bitten off by the wolf Fenris, after he put it in the wolve's mouth as a pledge of security when the wolf allowed himself to be bound in a net until the judgement day.

Ulle
In Norse mythology, Ulle is the god of the chase.

Ullr
In Norse mythology, Ullr is the god of war and the chase. He dwells in the Dale of Bows.

Urd
In Norse mythology, Urd was the Norn of the past.

Valhalla
In Norse mythology valhalla is the paradise where the souls of dead warriors go to.

Verdandi
In Norse mythology, Verdandi was the Norn of the present.

Vingulf
In Norse mythology, Vingulf was the mansion in Asgard where the godesses lived.

Vithar
In Norse mythology, Vithar was the god second in strength to Thor, and who would kill the wolf Fenris by wrentching the wolve's jaws asunder.

Woden
Woden was the Anglo-Saxon form of the name of the god called Odin by the Norse.

Ymir
In Norse mythology Ymir is a giant. In the beginning there was just Ymir and Ginnunggap. Ymir was slain by Odin, Vili and Ve and out of his blood they made the sea, out of his flesh the earth and out of his bones the rocks and out of his skull the cavity of heaven.