Aesir Gods: The Viking Gods

Hundreds of years ago people did not have the technology to explain different forces of nature. They created gods, each with separate powers, to rule their domains. Some of the gods were merciful, some were wicked, and others were merely servants of more powerful gods. Looking at the gods, it is easy to tell what the civilization most valued. I am going to look at the Greek and the Norse gods to compare what was most important to their societies.

You can see the Viking characters looking very similar to that of Norse Gods very early in the film. They wear horned helmets, body armor and carry around round shields. Both men and women are fighting. Their weaponry are axes, swords, spears and hammers, are used by Norse gods. There hair is long and the men have grown long breads as well. Their form of transportation from their island were that of long and slender viking ships. Vikings based their fashion choice around their own beliefs of Norse Gods, so naturally the characters who are Vikings also look much like them.

The Vikings were a group of Scandinavian raiders that were around from about the 8th century to the 11th. They mainly attacked the British Islands , the Frankish empire, England, but they also plundered places such as the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa. Vikings did not always settle into the places that they found, for instance after exploring North America they left the place never to return again. Even so, after landing on Greenland they colonized themselves there, and ancestors of the Vikings still live there today. So now that you know a little about the history of the Vikings lets go into detail about the specifics of the Viking age. (Peter Sawyer, Oxford Ill. History of the Vikings p. 1-19)

There was a misleading image of the Vikings that made them be known as pagans with a hatred of the Christian Church. What some people failed to realize was that the Vikings had many gods and found it to be no problem accepting Christian god alongside their own. The Vikings encountered with Christianity through their raids, and as they began to settle in lands with a Christian population, they also could adapt to Christianity much quicker. The Vikings had 14 major Gods. Their appreciation is the cosmos is divided into three main levels which are, Asgard, Aesir, which is also the upper level where the major gods such as Odin, along with the fertility gods, and the light levels lived. Midgard was known to be the middle level where dwarves, giants, men, and even the dark elves lived. Niflheim was known to be the lower level, and well known as the underworld. They called Niflheim the world of the evil dead because this was where the evil dead died the second death in the fortress city of Hel. Yggdrasil was known to be above

In the early days of Colonial America life was harsh and “difficult, the colonists faced conflicts with natives, starvation, and difficulties finding stable sources of food and support” (Jaffee). The culture at first was a struggle for those settlers who had to cross the Atlantic by contract. Most of these people were bound by their contracts for four to seven years. As for most women in the early days of Colonial America they were “expected to grow up, get married, have children, and take care of a home (Peck).

Norse mythology has been traced as far as the 2nd century AD and has been studied by the Vikings mostly. These Viking were from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Faroe Island, and Greenland. Norse mythology was at one point a religion of which people studied. North religion bases all its stories on the Elder Edda, which creates stories from god's other wise known as the Aesir and gives a standard of how the earth was made, how we should treat others, and stories of lessons we must learn. In this type of mythology it also gives knowledge as to what happens when you die. It says there are two possible places people could go, Helheim, Valhalla. Most people who die go to Helheim but those who die an honorable death are rewarded by going to Valhalla.

and had developed skills useful to the plantation owner. They were often in working positions

2.4 Belief and Ritual During the Viking period the Vikings believed in something called Norse paganism. There is very little known about what exactly their religion was called because the Vikings did not write down what they practiced or believed in. What we do know is rather more concerning the stories connected with the pagan gods. Other sources say the Norse religion was called Asatru but there is no way of knowing what their religion was called. The Vikings believed in many different gods and goddesses which are linked to Norse mythology.

Viking history and culture have been depicted in many movies, television series, and stories. Vikings are commonly known as barbarians that raid villages and intimidate others with huge ships with dragon heads, and horned helmets. This information is based on facts, but has been distorted and exaggerated over many years and tales. Viking history spans from the years 780 until 1100, which is the time span of the Viking raids. Not every Scandinavian was a Viking; Vikings were known as the men that conducted raids and bloody battles. The old definition of Viking was synonymous with the term pirate. The modern definition is relevant to the Scandinavian medieval culture, to include farming, crafting and trading.

They often influenced politics and offices in the government. They were usually considered the ruling class and had to keep a close eye on the market to keep their profit. Most owned a cotton or tobacco plantation and possessed many slaves. A small slaveholder usually had less than 10 slaves and usually kept them for domestic work. These men usually worked out on the field with their slaves but had slaves to lessen the amount of labor work overall. A yeoman farmer cultivated the field all by himself and did not own any slaves. They usually lived a decent life and were very self-sufficient. Mountaineers were usually people who moved to the west and were very

The Hebrew had “men of rank and influence.” “The “men of rank influence” formed a special group of considerable importance in Hebrew society. This group included officials of the king, military officers, civil officials, and governors. Although simply servants to the kings, they held a privileged position in the society at large” (Spielvogel 39). Although most, if not all, countries no longer have a king that dictates the country, “men of rank and influence” usually exist. In the U.S., “men of rank influence” would be similar to government members, people who serve in the military, and any federal corporation. In Great Britain, there is still a king, however, the power the British king possesses is not nearly as great as the power kings of old empires had.

Beowulf has both pagan and Christian influences. Throughout the story there are many elements of Christian teachings: that man survives only through the protection of God, that all earthly gifts flow from God, and that the proper bearing of man is to be humble and unselfish (csis.edu, 2011). While many pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian overtones are more prevalent, exhibiting many elements of Christian heroism in the poem. An example is when Beowulf says “God must decide who will be given to death's cold grip” (Norton, lines 174-175).   He knows that God has already created an ending to this battle with Grendel, and he is lavished with peace. He shows true Christian character, bravery, and faith in the manner in which he

The Aeneid has a long story to tell so, the following would focus on the Book I: A Fateful Heaven. Firstly, it is undeniable that the gods play an important role in the Aeneid. At the beginning of the book, Aeneas and his fellows was already experienced seven years’ of wandering, had left Troy and towards Italy. No wonder it was a tough situation. However, how could this happen at the very beginning of the book which seemed unreasonable?

Njord (pronounced “NYORD;” Old Norse Njörðr, whose meaning/etymology is unknown) is one of the principal gods of the Vanir tribe of deities. He’s also an honorary member of the Aesir gods, having been sent to them during the Aesir-Vanir War along with his son, Freyr, and his daughter, Freya. Freyr and Freya’s mother is Njord’s unnamed sister, who, based on linguistic evidence, is probably Nerthus.

Most of the comparisons will be examining the similarities between major Greek and Norse gods, as well as creatures, stories and specific symbols which are featured in the mythologies. Some of the gods do not have direct counterparts (Thor, Athena and Loki). However, I will provide possible similarities within the respective mythologies.