Norse myth simplified! Ep. 1

Norse Mythology is the Mythology/Beliefs/Religion of the Vikings, North Germanic, and Scandinavian people.

*underlined = god/goddess

How to pronounce Norse words

Norse myth centers around the World Tree, called Yggdrasil. On Yggdrasil, 9 worlds, each with their own characteristics, live.

They are:

Helhiem, land of the dead, ruled over by Hel, Loki’s daughter.

Asgard, home to the Aesir gods, (the main group of gods) where the rainbow bridge Biföst reaches across to the land of humans, also known as:

Midgard, land of the people, built of the dead body of Ymir, the genderless mother of all creatures.

Vanaheimr, home of the Vanir gods, associated with fertility, the harvest, and the ability to see the future. (Such gods include: Freyja, Freyr, and Njörðr.)

Niflheim, a desolate land of mist and cold, which is always dark. It houses the spring Hvergelmir, which is protected by the dragon Nidhug. The spring is the beginning of all icy rivers, and is the source of all grown life.

Muspelheim, the land of fire and lava, often compared to Niflheim, ruled by the giant Surtr, where fire demons and fire giants live. Surtr is the giant who will fight the gods at Ragnarök, with his flame sword.

Jotunheim, home of the giants, sworn enemy’s of Aesir. It is a land of mountains, rocks and forests, and Loki came from here, her* father being a giant.

Alfheim, home of the light elves, sometimes compared to guardian angels. Alfheim is above Asgard and regarded as heaven, and it is seen as a symbol of fertility. It’s ruled over by Freyr, a Vanir god.

Svartalfheim, the land of the dwarves, is a place of caves and smithing. It translates to “dark fields,” and is compared to Alfheim.

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