-20% in selected | Envío gratis a Península desde 60€

5 curiosities about Viking mythology

Who knows Thor, God of Thunder? And Odin, his father? Viking mythology has become very fashionable over the last decade, especially due to superhero or Viking movies and series in which the gods play an important role. But do you know the most essential characteristics of the gods? We present you 5 curiosities about Viking mythology that you probably did not know.

The mythological world and the Yggdrasill

As in other mythologies, the ancients have always tried to describe the world and its connection with the gods and the afterlife. The Vikings, for their part, were not going to be less. For example, the ancient Norse believed that the universe was a disc supported by the branches of a giant ash tree, known as the Yggdrasill. This separated dimensions and connected them at the same time, and the only one who could travel between them effortlessly was Odin, who knew the entire cosmos.

The 9 universes or kingdoms sustained by the Yggdrasill:

  • Asgard, where Odin lives together with his wife Frigg. It is also the place where Vallhala is located.
  • Midgard is our world; the world of humans created by Odin and his brothers.
  • Helheim is the world of the dead. It is the darkest area near Niflheim and is dominated by Hela, goddess of death.
  • Niflheim is the dangerous world of darkness and darkness, covered by a perpetual mist and guarded by a mighty dragon: Nídöggr.
  • Muspellheim is the world of fire, dominated by giants of that same element. Of all of them, Surt is the most powerful.
  • Svartalfheim is a gloomy world inhabited by dangerous dark elves, most of whom hail from Helheim.
  • Alfheim is a world inhabited by two types of elves: the light elves and part of the dark elves, who lived in the mountains. These are closely related to each other.
  • Vanaheim is a kingdom ruled by the Vanir clan of gods.
  • Jötunheim is the world of the giants, with its capital in Utgard, from where humans (Midgard) and gods (Asgard) are threatened alike. It is a truly dangerous place.

vegvisir vikingo

Odin's left eye in return

Many people will surely know Odin, god of gods, but they may not know that he is missing his left eye. Why? The story begins with Odin's quest for divine wisdom

The god of gods walked towards Urd's wellWhere would you drink from? wisdom water, which was at the base of the tree that kept our world connected to the cosmos (Yggdrasil). However, nothing would be as easy as he imagined. Once there, he would come face to face with Mímir, an omniscient giant who guarded the well, with great powers and magical spells that he obtained thanks to the well's water. Mímir, then, allowed Odin to drink from his well on one condition: to pluck out one of his eyes (a sacrifice). Odin accepted, gouged out his left eye and bathed in the water of universal wisdom.

Odin's horse: Sleipnir

This is one of the least known curiosities about Viking mythology, but it is quite important.

Odin's horse, Sleipnir, was a eight-legged gray stallion (or six, according to certain writings) that could gallop faster than the wind. In fact, Sleipnir symbolizes the winds that blow from the cardinal points.

In addition, this fast horse is mentioned in several writings, but the most outstanding of them is the Poetic Edda, sung by the scalds.

Ragnarök as the end of the world

The Vikings also foresaw the end of the world, and this would take place through a battle between the gods, representing order, and the creatures of chaos. In this company, destined to fail, different clans and kingdoms will unite under the mantle of Odin. Among them stand out: the Aedir, led by Odin; the fire giants, led by the great Surt; and the jotun, led by the god Loki.

Ragnarök will be so devastating that, inevitably, all the gods, the creatures of chaos, humanity and, in addition, the cosmos will die. However, all is not lost, as the destruction of the old cosmos will create another universe (and so on). This is very reminiscent of the Big Bang and the explosion of stars, which bring with them death and subsequent creation of life.

Fenrir, the giant wolf

Fenrir was a giant, son of the god Loki and the giantess Angrbooa, who grew up and was raised among the gods. They sensed great potential and power in Fenrir, who was growing by leaps and bounds day after day. This eventually became a big problem for the gods and they decided to put him in chains. However, Fenrir, being a giant wolf, managed to escape his chains for a time. Later, he was tricked by the gods, who chained him up again (albeit this time with a very powerful artifact).

In addition to all these curiosities about Viking mythology, in Ragnarök, after all the chaos that this entailed, Fenrir managed to escape from his chains. Later, he would kill Odin and Loki.

And you know that if you want buy viking accessories, you can find the best in our store.

en_GBEnglish (UK)

20%

Descuento

¡Afila tu hacha Vikingo! Los tesoros del Valhalla te esperan. Descubre los mejores precios en anillos, colgantes y brazaletes. 
Encuentra los productos con descuento y hazte con ellos ahora.

favicon