See also: Scandinavian (homonymy)

The Mythologie Nordique is consisted of the Légende S coming from the Religion practiced formerly in most of the Northern Europe (Germany, Scandinavia, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Russia, Normandy but also England). The divinities of the Scandinavian Pantheon are as in many of other mythologies, of the anthropomorphic representations of the forces which govern the universe.

Presentation

This mythology remains relatively badly known, in particular because of brittleness of the sources one has. Perpetuated a long time with the oral examination, it will be necessary to await the arrival of the Christian first in Scandinavia as from the 10th century. The arrival of Christianity will bring with it the Latin writing, making it possible to teach with the Scandinavians the writing on paper. The Rune S were made, as for them, to be mainly engraved and did not lend themselves to the writing long texts. Between the 10th century and the 12th century, only some legends will be retranscribed. It will be necessary to await the 12th century and the writing of the Edda by Snorri Sturluson to have a broader retranscription of the Scandinavian Mythologie.

Pantheist Religion granting a broad place to the Natural (the old celebrations proceeded close to Arbre S or crowned sites), to the Femme (several important goddesses, like was besides the place of the women in the companies germano-Scandinavians) and to the Divination (art associated with the Rune S), it places the Vie in the center of its system, a life conceived like confrontation of the forces of creation and dissolution, from which any fruitfulness results.

The Hof (the Pantheon) Scandinavian is not as fixed as that of the Greek Mythologie, the many differences in local traditions does not make it possible to define a very precise role in the gods (many hypostases). This Pantheon has moreover the characteristic to be made up of two families of gods, the Ases and the Vanes, probably appeared at two times different and amalgamated with the whole beginning of Scandinavian antiquity (before the II E). The oldest gods, the Valves, are of the gods of nature, fruitfulness and prosperity. The Adzes, more recent, are gods more typically Indo-European, and in that closer to the gods gréco-Romans, such Hermod, associated with Hermes/Mercure, and Odin, associated with Zeus/Jupiter. Certain gods, originally major, were forsaken little by little with the profit of others, such Týr, god associated with the war and justice, supplanted by Odin.

Cosmogony (representation of the origins)

Creation of the Worlds and the Gods

See also: Cosmogony (Scandinavian mythology)

At the beginning, there existed only two entities: Muspellheim and Niflheim. The first was an ignited area which kept a gigantic being, Surt, which at the end of times will put fire at the universe. In north Niflheim, the country of the cold and the ice was. Between these two areas the Ginnungagap, the abyss was located. In this nothing, heat and the cold met and dissolved the ice of Niflheim from where the giant Ymir appeared.

At the same time as this one was born the Vache Audhumla. Of its worse four milk rivers ran which nourissaient Ymir. Ice which it licked continuously appeared a being, Buri, which gave birth to Bor. This last had three children with the girl of a giant of ice called Bestla. Its sons were called Odin, Vili and Vé.

Those could not support Ymir which they killed. They carried its body in the center of Ginnungagap and starting from its corpse they formed Midgard, the world of the men. With its hair they made the trees, with its flesh they made the ground, with its teeth, of the stones and of the rocks, with its blood they filled the lakes and the oceans, with its bones they raised the mountains and with its cranium they made the sky. The larvae which had corroded the corpse were used to create the Nain S. And four of them were used to maintain the vault of heaven: Nordri, Sudri, Austri and Westri, which gave their names to the cardinal points. To finish they threw its brain to form the clouds and organized the race of the stars in order to create the Temps.

With the blood of Ymir, the three wire drowned the offspring of this one. But one of its grandsons succeeds in fleeing beyond the sea with his/her partner. To avoid the anger of the descendants of Ymir, a rampart was built with the lashes of the corpse of the giant around the field of Midgard.

Creation of the Men

Birth

After the three sons of Bor saw two wood trunks, they decided to carve them under human form. Odin insufflated the breath of life, Vili to them, the intelligence and Vé, the directions.

The first, the man, was named Ask (literally “ash”), and the second Embla (literally “elm”), the first woman. They lived both at the beginning of the universe right after the creation of the Last nine Worlds and generated humanity.

A bridge connects the world of the men and of the Gods and is held in the form of the rainbow. Bifröst (of its celestial name) is kept by Heimdall which supervises the return of the giants.

The creation of a company

The Gods decided to create castes at the men in order to consider a future resting on good bases. Thus Heimdall was sent among those, dissimulated under the name of Ríg.

First of all, it entered a modest thatched cottage. Its inhabitants, in spite of their poverty, lodged it during three days. Last nine months later, the woman put at the world a child with the coarse features and the arched back, called Thrall. Once married, this one will put at the world children carrying the name of Noisy, Voyou, Taon, Fainéante, Grasse and Pole. It is of this family that the caste from the slaves is resulting.

During this time, Rig had arrived in a simple house where it was accommodated liberally. Last nine months later, the woman put at the world a sharp child, whom it named Karl. From its future union was born Barbeforte, Bon husband, Forgeron, Vierge, Capable and Beautiful face. Thus the caste of the free men appeared.

Lastly, Rig arrived in a superb residence where as each time there remained a few days. Last nine months later, the newborn, named Jarl, seemed to be perfect. He accepted a very good education and from him were born from many children almost considered with equal of the Gods. One will very often indicate them by the name of “kings”.

Its completed task, Heimdall returned towards the Gods.

Eschatology (representation of fine the last)

See also: Ragnarök

In Scandinavian mythology, the Ragnarök (“Consumption of the destiny of the powers” as an old Scandinavian) is the battle of the End of the world, the destiny from which cannot escape the men and the gods, the destruction of Ásgard and the revival of the world.

She will oppose the gods, the Adzes, carried out by Odin and supported by the warriors died on the combat and involving itself in the Valhöll, with the giants of ice and Loki, the god of fire, like by various monsters of which the wolf Fenrir and the marine monster Jörmungand. The latter will receive the support of deaths unworthy of the goddess Hel (goddess).

Odin and Fenrir will be entretueront like Thor and Jörmungand, like Loki and Heimdall, the guard of the door of Ásgard. The majority of the other gods and giants will also end up dying in the combat. Several gods will survive in particular the wire of Odin, Vidar, Valdi and Hœnir; wire of Thor, Modi and Magni which will inherit its hammer. As for Baldr it returned from the world of darkness. Only two human, Lif and Lifthaisir, which at the beginning of the battle will find refuge in the tree crowned Yggdrasil, will survive. After carnage, they will redescenderont some and be able to rebuild a new world and a new humanity.

In Ragnarök, prophecy has its share, as in other myths and religions under other latitudes. Here, the gods know their destiny. They know which of them will die and in which way. In spite of the flexibility of the Wyrd (see below), they do not seek to prevent this destiny but rather to carry it out fully. They remain courageous vis-a-vis their destiny.

As Snorri Sturluson believed it, this prophecy resembles one report/ratio more a posteriori , that of déifiés mythical ancestors who were likely to survive some cataclysm of geophysical nature of an unquestionable width and who would have described what arrived. This assumption explains why certain texts speak about Ragnarök to rather last than to the future.

Mythological reference marks

Yggdrasil and Last nine Worlds

The cosmic tree Yggdrasil is to some extent the “frame of the world” at the Scandinavian ones, more precisely, the frame of the worlds. This one shelters nine worlds indeed (one also speaks about Multivers) of which each one is the clean field of an element or a creature. The Last nine Worlds are divided into three levels:

At the highest level:

  • Ásgard or Gotheim, the kingdom of the gods Adzes where one finds the Walhalla;
  • Vanaheim, the kingdom of the gods Valves;
  • Ljösalfheim, sometimes Lightalfheim or simply Alfheim, Earth of the Elf S or Elves of light;

At the central level:

  • Midgard or Mannheim the kingdom of the men;
  • Jötunheim or Utgard, the Giant kingdom of the S;
  • Svartalfheim, the Dwarf kingdom of the S (or Black Elves);

On the level low:

  • Niflheim, the world of the ice and the fogs;
  • Muspellheim, the world of the fire, kept by the giant Surt;
  • Helheim, the field of deaths.

The Wyrd

It is about the destiny, which governs each creature or object of the new worlds. In the Scandinavian world, the destiny is an infinite fabric whose each wire is a creature or an object of the new worlds. This fabric is woven by the Nornes. It is also about the name of the white rune.

Adzes, Valves and Nornes

See the Scandinavian article the Pantheon for more detail.

The Scandinavian gods are divided into three groups: the Adzes, the Valves and the Nornes.

Valves

The Valves are the elder gods of Scandinavian mythology. Njörd is the principal god of the Valves, he is the god of abundance, the wind and the sea. He married his sister Nerthus but he separated under the pressure from the Adzes which found that bad. His second wife was the giant E of the sea Skadi. Njörd is the father of Freyr, god of the life and fruitfulness, and Freyja, goddess of the love, which accommodates half of the warriors died in the combat, Odin accommodating the others in its Valhöll.

Creatures

  • the Elf S, or Alfes (for '' Elfes of light '')
  • Dwarf, or '' dark Elfes ''
  • Giant
  • the Troll S
  • the Valkyrie S

Monsters and animals

Mythological sources

The best references for Scandinavian mythology are the Eddas . They were both in writing lying about the 13th century. The first, the poetic Edda is a compilation of texts even older which are sometimes difficult to include/understand, the translated Vieux norrois being sometimes difficult to encircle. It is advised to start with the Edda in prose written by Snorri Sturluson, poet and diplomatic Icelandic.

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