The gods of Scandinavia: Heimdall, Hermod the Brave, Tyur, Velund, Aegir, Utgarda-Loki, Thor, Odin. Scandinavian Mythology

Scandinavia traditionally refers to the vast territories located in the north of Europe, and include Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, as well as a number of islands closest to them. The historical peculiarities of their development gave rise to a peculiar culture, one of the facets of which was myth-making, the characters of which, in turn, were the original and unique gods of Scandinavia. Undaunted and daring, they were in some way akin to the Vikings themselves.

Where did they come to our world?

The gods of Scandinavian mythology, whose list contains the names of characters less known than their ancient Egyptian and Greek brethren, are part of the culture of the ancient German tribes. Information about them reached our days mainly in the texts of two monuments of medieval literature. This "Elder Edda" is a poetic collection containing Old Icelandic songs, as well as "Younger Edda" - the creation of the 12th century Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson.

In addition, a number of myths became known from the work of the medieval Danish chronicler Saxo Grammar, which he called "The Acts of the Danes". It is curious that one of his subjects formed the basis of Shakespeare's Hamlet, written four centuries later.

Turning to the subjects of any myths, whether they were born in Scandinavia, Greece or Egypt, it should be taken into account that over the centuries they have been edited many times, which today inevitably leads to a multitude of crept in them misunderstandings and contradictions. Therefore, we should not be surprised when the same events, and the Scandinavian gods themselves are described in different sources in different ways.

Scandinavian version of the origin of the world

An unusual originality of Scandinavian mythology is the picture of the birth of the world, represented in it. According to the ancient epic, it all began with a huge black abyss, on one side of which was the kingdom of ice - Niflheim, and on the other side - Muspellheim.

From the realm of ice, 12 currents began to flow, which immediately froze, but as they were beating constantly, the blocks of ice gradually approached the realm of fire. When these two elements became very close, from the sheaves of sparks that mingled with the icy crumb, the giant Ymir and the same cow named Audulla appeared.

The following are completely incredible events. According to the "Elder Edda", one day the giant Ymir was sweating a lot, which is not surprising, because nearby there was a realm of fire, and from his sweat appeared two giants - a man and a woman. This would not have gone anywhere, but here it is further said that one of his legs conceived from the other and gave birth to a son. Since it is difficult to imagine, we will take it for granted without going into details.

As for the cow of Audulla, she also plays a very important role in Scandinavian myths. Firstly, she fed her milk to Imir and those who had descended from him in such a miraculous way. She herself ate that licking salt from the stones. Secondly, from the heat of her tongue was born another giant, who received the name of Storm. So the first inhabitants appeared on the earth, from which the gods of Scandinavia were born, and later people.

Asy, wana and other mythical characters

It is known that all the Scandinavian gods and goddesses were divided into several groups, the main among which were the Ases, headed by their leader named Odin. Their life was far from easy or cloudless, as they constantly had to enter into conflicts with other representatives of the ancient Scandinavian pantheon.

Most of all the troubles they brought vans - a group of fertility gods, claimed to own the world, but got from the giants, the Yotuns, as well as dwarfs-dwarfs. And it's completely mercilessly spoiled the blood of the female deities - dis, norn and valkyrie.

One of the main subjects of Scandinavian mythology is the war between the Ases and the Vans. It began with the fact that the Vans, offended by the fact that people in their songs glorified not them, but the Ases, sent to them in the world (he was called Midgard) the evil sorceress Gulveig. Since it was made of gold, then, according to the calculations of the Vans, their appearance was to spoil the morals of people, sowing greed and greed in their souls. The Ases prevented this, and killed the witch. From this began a war in which the Scandinavian gods tried to solve the issue of primacy by force. Since neither side could prevail, a peace was finally concluded between them, secured by an exchange of hostages.

The Supreme God of the Asses

The leader, and the father of the Ases, was the supreme god Odin. In Scandinavian mythology, it corresponds to a number of characteristics. He is represented as the king-priest, the shaman-expert of the runes, the prince-sorceress and, in addition, the Scandinavian god of war and victory. God One was honored as the patron of the military aristocracy and the conqueror of the Valkyries (they will be discussed below). He is in charge of Valhalla - the heavenly palace, where fallen heroes-warriors have spent eternity in paradise bliss.

One was portrayed as one-eyed, but full of life energy of the elder. His missing eye, he once gave the giant Mimir, so that he allowed him to drink water from the source of wisdom guarded by him. Praiseworthy craving for knowledge, in general, was peculiar to Odin. For example, once, in order to comprehend the power contained in the ancient runes, the ancient Germanic writings, he agreed to sacrifice himself, and to hang for nine days, nailed to the tree with his own spear.

Among the other qualities of Odin, in myths, the ability to reincarnate is emphasized. Usually he wanders on the earth in the guise of an old man dressed in a blue raincoat and felt hat. His constant companions are two wolves or a crow. But sometimes Odin can turn into a poor wanderer or an ugly dwarf. In any case, woe to someone who, by the laws of hospitality, will close the doors of his house in front of him.

Sons of Odin

Son of Odin was the god Heimdall, who was considered the keeper of the world tree of life. He was usually portrayed in the guise of a warrior trumpeting the golden horn. According to legend, this is how he should announce the approach of the end of the world, and collect all the gods for the last battle with the forces of darkness. Heimdall lives in a fairy-tale house called Himinbjerg, which means "heavenly mountains". It is located near the bridge connecting heaven and earth.

Widely known and another son of Odin - one-armed god Tyr, who was the embodiment of military valor. He lost his hands, however, not on the battlefield. His grief was received by the poor fellow, trying to shackle the magic chain of a giant wolf named Fenrir. Once upon a time this monster was still an inoffensive puppy taken asami in their country by Asgard. Over time, the wolf cub grew to become a powerful and aggressive monster that terrified others.

No matter how the gods tried to bind him, he always tore the fetters with ease. Finally, elves came to the rescue, forging a magic chain from the noise of cat's footsteps, bird's saliva, fish's breath and the roots of the mountains. It remained only to throw it on the wolf. To convince the beast in the absence of bad intentions, the god Tyr put his own hand in his mouth, which was bitten off, as soon as Fenrir realized that he was caught in a trick. Since then, the god of military valor has smashed enemies with only one remaining hand.

God exhausted by bad dreams

It should be noted that the god of spring Baldur the Beautiful - so everyone called him for his extraordinary beauty, was also the son of Odin, whom the supreme goddess Asiv Frigg gave birth to him. The legend says that one day he shared with his mother that he often saw bad dreams. To protect her son, Frigg took an oath of water, fire, brutal metals, trees, stones, poisons, diseases, animals and birds, that they would not cause him any harm. As a result, the god of spring became invulnerable.

Knowing this, the other gods threw stones, spears and arrows at him for fun, than they bothered Baldra. And one day their evil jokes ended very badly. The god of cunning Loki had deceived Frigga that she had not at one time taken an oath from the mistletoe, a shrub that at that moment had scarcely appeared from the earth.

Taking advantage of her blunder, the treacherous Loki tore off the branch of this plant, and, putting it into the hand of the god-blind god of fate, Hed, made a throw at Baldra passing nearby. A sharp rod pierced a beautiful young man and he died, becoming the prey of the realm of the dead and his terrible ruler, the sorceress Hel.

Next to the supreme god of the Ases, another popular mythical character is often depicted - Hermod the Brave. He was Odin's envoy to the land of the dead, where he had to buy from his ruler his son - the god of spring Baldur. This good intention brought Hermond fame, despite the fact that the mission itself failed as a result of the next intrigues of the same god of cunning and deceit Loki.

Competitions in Utgard Castle

It should be noted that the tricks of this cheat and deceiver often defame the name of his namesake - quite respectable and respected Asgar Utgard Loki, famous for the fact that his unusual castle Utgard once organized very unusual competitions. About them the "Younger Edda" narrates. It describes, in particular, how one of his guests - the god of thunder and storm Thor, in the heat of sports excitement struggled with the evil old woman Ellie, who embodied old age, and his friend Loki - the same deceiving god, competed in gluttony with the fire itself .

The culmination of everything was the attempt of the local peasant Tialphi to overtake the thought of the owner of the castle ahead of the running speed. And although neither the god of thunder nor his friends succeeded, the holiday was a success. About it was composed then many songs. Not spoiled the impression that even the fire, and old Ellie, and even the owner of Utgard Loki pretty cheated, thanks to which they won.

Female deities of the ancient Scandinavians

The most direct relationship to Odin is the Valkyries, the ruler of which (and according to some sources - the father) he was. According to Scandinavian myths, these warrior-maidens, seated on flying horses, invisibly reared over the battlefields. Sent by Odin, they picked up the dead warriors from the ground, and then they took Valhalla to the heavenly palace. There they served them, carrying honey at the tables. Sometimes the Valkyries also got the right to decide the outcome of battles, but to make their warriors (killed, of course) do their beloved.

In addition to the Valkyries, the female part of the pantheon was also represented by norns - three sorceresses, endowed with the gift of clairvoyance. They were able to easily predict the fate of not only people and gods, but the world as a whole. There lived these wizards in the country of Midgard, inhabited by people. Their main duty was to water the world tree Yggdrasil, whose well-being depended on the longevity of mankind.

Another group of supernatural inhabitants of the ancient world were disks. Obeying the variability of the female nature, they were then guardians of people, then hostile to them by force. Among the monuments of ancient German culture, part of which, as mentioned above, is the Scandinavian mythology, the texts of incantations in which the disas are attributed to the power to restrain the onslaught of the enemy troops and to decide the outcome of battles are preserved.

Golden-haired goddess

In addition to representatives of the female part of the pantheon, mentioned above, the goddess Sif, who was the wife of the god of storms and thunder of Thor, deserves attention. Being the patroness of fertility, this lady, inferior beauty only to the goddess of love Frey, has become famous for her extraordinary golden hair, whose history deserves special attention.

Once the beauty of Seth forced the god of deception of Loki to become envious of her husband Torah. Seizing the moment when it was not at home, Loki sneaked into the bedchamber to his sleeping wife and ... no, no, do not think anything - he just cut her bare. Nevertheless, the desperation of the poor thing was not the end, and the enraged husband was ready to kill the wretch, but he vowed to rectify the situation.

To this end, Loki went to the dwarf blacksmiths who lived in a fairy-tale country, and told them what had happened. They gladly volunteered to help, demonstrating their art. Gnomes forged for Sif hair from pure gold, making them unusually long, thin and fluffy, with the property immediately grow to the head and look like real. So the goddess Seth became the owner of golden hair.

Gods are the overlords of the seas

Another vivid representative of the Scandinavian pantheon is the ruler of the seas Aegir. It is commonly believed that Egir personifies, first of all, a calm and serene sea, as evidenced by his character. He is a hospitable host, willingly hosting guests, and then visiting their homes. The Lord of the Seas is always peace-loving, and never participates in disputes, much less in wars. However, the expression "to grind Aegir's teeth", which is important in the old times, has the value of drowning, suggests that he sometimes has moments of anger.

It should be noted that a number of sources, as the ruler of the seas, refer to another Scandinavian god, Njorda, and he is attributed to a quiet and friendly disposition, while Aegir is portrayed as a disturber of the sea and storm-maker, Nirdu is the one who has to surrender to save those ships that are in distress. It should not be surprising, since this is just one example of the discrepancies that arose in the Scandinavian epic over the past centuries.

Blacksmith making wings

In the Scandinavian pantheon there was also a god-blacksmith named Velund. This hard worker is the character of the epic of almost all Germanic peoples. His fate was difficult and dramatic in its own way. Being one of the three sons of the Finnish king (the supreme overlord), he nevertheless lived by the labor of his hands. In the family life the guy was clearly not lucky. Favorite wife Herwer - a maiden who sometimes took the form of a swan, abandoned him, leaving only the wedding ring behind her. Suffering from separation, Velund forged 700 of his duplicates.

But on this his misadventures did not end. One day during a dream, the blacksmith-god was captured by the Swedish king Nydud. The villain not only deprived the master of freedom, but also maimed, leaving for the rest of his life lame. After sharpening Velunda in the dungeon, the king forced him to work days and nights, forging a weapon for himself, and for his wife and daughter precious jewelry. Only because of the incident and his own guile, the captive managed to regain freedom.

The legend tells that one day in the dungeon to Welund came the sons of Nydud, who wanted, like his father, to have swords of his making. Taking advantage of the moment, the blacksmith killed them, then making from the skulls cups that sent them to his father, and from the eyes of jewelry to the queen, and from the teeth of a brooch for the princess. To top it off, he lured an unsuspecting girl to her, raped her. Revenge in this way, very pleased with himself, the god-blacksmith flew away on the wings of his own making.

New Times - New Characters

With the spread of Christianity in the Scandinavian countries, all the old mythical deities underwent a certain transformation, taking the form of saints, or, in general, disappeared. Völund has also changed beyond recognition, turning from a divine character into a demonic one. This is primarily due to his profession. It is known that in ancient times blacksmiths were treated with a certain degree of suspicion, attributing to them a connection with an evil spirit.

Unsurprisingly, after this, that Goethe, having changed this name somewhat, gave them his hero Mephistopheles in one of the scenes of the tragedy "Faust", who introduced himself as Woland. At the ingenious German, the find was borrowed by Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, immortalizing it in The Master and Margarita, and giving a new life to Welund as a professor of black magic of Woland.

A small list of the Scandinavian gods that did not enter our review:

• Bragi is the son of Odin.
• Vidar is a deity of war.
• Henir is brother of Odin.
• Forset is the son of Baldr.
• Fulla is the goddess of abundance.
• Eyre is the goddess of healing.
• Lovn is the goddess of mercy.
• Ver is the goddess of knowledge.
• Yord is the goddess of the earth.
• Skady is the patroness of the hunt.
• Ull is the god of hunting.