Similarities Between Asgardian And Nine Realms

Thor, Odin, and Loki, all good marvel characters, but they didn’t originate in the minds of Stan Lee. In fact they originated nearly 1300 years earlier, in the Viking age. In that time Norse mythology was born in its entirety. The way it was shaped was an effect of the Viking way, and the Viking way was affected by their mythology. Norse mythology didn’t stay inclusive to their own gods because of their raids and trading they learned different religions. Norse mythology integrated another mythology into theirs. This in turn cause wars between those said gods, specific to this essay the Aesir-Vanir War. This affected how Vikings saw the use of Seidr and this event was directly related to them raiding and trading with other lands.

Another difference is the creatures. In Greek mythology there are three basic non-human creatures: the gods, the titans, and the nymphs. In Norse mythology there are 5 main non-human creatures: the Aesir and Vanir (gods), the Jotnar (giants), the Álfar (Álfar), Svartálfar (dark Álfar), and the Valkyries. The Aesir and the Vanir are your basic extraordinary immortals, though in Norse mythology the gods were thought to be mortal, only kept immortal by eating the apples of Idun. However, they could be slain even if they ate the apples. The Jotnar were giants or the Norse equivalent to the Greek titans, but the Jotnar did not fight with the gods in a war like the titans did with the Greek gods. The Álfar are lesser "gods" that control nature. Álfar are viewed as "gods" of fertility due to their connection to nature (agriculture specifically); they're not actual gods in the sense it is used but more so magically inclined creatures. Finally are the Svartálfar or commonly referred to as dwarves, trolls, dark Álfar, or black Álfar. The Svartálfar aren't anything like the Álfar; they are regarded as being small, disfigured people who dwell in mountains and mounds and hate the light. The Svartálfar were master craftsman and made many things for the gods such as Thor's hammer (Mjollnir) a wall around

Introductions established, The Edda continues by exhibiting the questioning of Odin, chief of the Gods, by Gylfi, a traveling king (Snorri, 10). Gylfi asks about the race of Gods, to which Odin tells the story of his wife Frigg and their favorite son Balder. The purity of whom foreshadows his future significance. Balder, Odin responds, suffered from a series of foreboding dreams which prompts Frigg’s to take maternal action. She traveled the world, requiring an oath from every substance and material that they will not harm her son. Thus protected, Balder could bear the abuse of swords, sticks and fire without sustaining injury (Snorri, 65).

The next comparison between two stories is that of Norse mythology and Greek mythology. Both stories have very similar ideas and ways of telling their stories of how their world came into being. Norse has their giants, who gave birth to the original three gods that created Midgard. The Greeks have the Titans who bore the Greek gods who overthrew them as well to control the Earth. Both myths contain the presence of creatures in their stories, beasts who helped shape their respective worlds to move the culture’s creation stories further along. Creatures within these worlds would be the dwarves, the serpent Nidhogg, and demons of Norse myth and the Cyclopes, the furies, and Typhon of Greek origin Furthermore, the children of some of these creatures were divines, who ended up overthrowing their elders to lead the creation of their own worlds, to rule over their own creations as well. And speaking of the world, both myths have multiple layers to their

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.

     There are many similarities between the hero of the poem Beowulf and the heroes of the two Icelandic sagas, The Saga of The Volsungs and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. The former saga is an Icelandic saga representing oral traditions dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, when Attila the Hun was fighting on the northern fringes of the Roman Empire; the latter is an Icelandic saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300’s when it was written.

In the epic poem Beowulf, there is an obvious distinction between good and evil. The hero and his foes play roles that are commonly associated with Anglo-Saxon literature. The lines are clearly drawn and expressed in the poem. As the story moves, the reader cannot mistake the roles being played, based on the characterizations in the epic, one recognizes each character for their purpose and place.

While the author of Beowulf did not initially intend for the epic to become one of the most researched and foundational works in the English language, and therefore, did not go into much detail about its setting and surrounding political structures, the unnamed writer left behind important clues regarding Scandinavian and English political, economic, geographical, and societal bodies. Although not much is known about the author, it is evident through their writing, especially in the societal structure mentioned in the epic, that they were of English descent, specifically, born in the middle of seventh and end of tenth century England, according to Seamus Heaney in the introduction to his translation of Beowulf. Societal clues are the most prominent in proving this claim, as they merge Scandinavian and Old English structures, and at its most form, Beowulf is a Scandinavian tale told through an Englishman’s persepctive.

The questions below refer to the selections “from Beowulf, Part One,” “from Grendel,” “Life in 999: A Grim Struggle,” and “from Beowulf, Part Two.”

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight are British mythological stories whose authors are unknown. The stories paint the picture of brave and selfless heroes who put the lives of their fellow men before their own. Though the stories differ in their narration, they are built on the same ideas and principles. This essay compares and contrasts the various themes in these two stories and their development. The issues discussed are the role of women, strength and courage and afterlife.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, born in 1892, an English writer, among other things, has had a numerous number of sources that has influenced him. “As a young boy he fell in love with Scandinavia and its ancient stories” (Birzer). His successful and worldwide well-known writings, has made him classified as the “father of high fantasy”. One of the sources that he was influenced by, was Norse mythology. Norse mythology was influential to Tolkien when he was creating his envisioning.

This masterpiece, “Thor and Loki in Giantland”, is taken from the Prose Edda. The Prose Edda is a collection of tales written in Iceland during the early thirteenth century. The title is derived from the old Norse word meaning great grandmother. Combined with the Poetic Edda, these two books make up most of Scandinavian mythology. The author, Snorri Sturluson, was an Icelandic poet, historian, and politician.

Other signs showing Tolkien's influence in Norse mythology can be noted through the various similarities between Odin and Gandalf. Agreeably they are both known to possess supernatural strengths such as magic and the

Zeus and Thor share many similarities. The two also share differences. They are very similar in some areas. For one, they are both gods. But Zeus and Thor can be contrasted in many different ways.

The epic tale of Beowulf was written sometime after his death. In other words, a long time ago during the Anglo-Saxon period. Today, directors in Hollywood did not keep from creating their own rendition of this epic poem As a result, plenty of modern interpretations of Beowulf, such as Sturla Gunnarsson’s Beowulf and Grendel, have been released. Naturally, the cultural values that might be reflected in modern Beowulf renditions will demonstrate a clash with those of the original fifth century Beowulf literature. One reason for this is that in the modern age we value characters with profound characteristics, characters that change due to the challenges they experience; characters that we as the audience can attach to. Flat characters like those of the original Beowulf text are difficult to empathize with since they are not realistic enough for our standards. Due to these differences in culture and values, the Beowulf and Grendel from the original Beowulf text possess definite contrasts when compared with their Beowulf and Grendel counterparts.