Norse mythology
Norse mythology is the legends and pagan religious belief of the Vikings. They believed that the World (Midgard = 'Middle Earth') was supported on the World Tree (Yggdrasil) and lay between Asgard (Over-Heaven, the abode of their gods) and Hel (the underworld). They believed in dragons, who hoarded gold and treasure, and the greatest of these the Midgard Serpent, encircled the world. They believed in other supernatural beings such as trolls, dwarves and elves.
The gods (Odin, Thor etc.), and their human allies would be defeated and destroyed at Ragnarok, the last battle when the Ice Giants, the Midgard Serpent and the Wolf Fenrir would destroy Asgard and Midgard. But the Vikings still thought it better to fight on the side of the gods, even with knowledge of their ultimate defeat.
Baldr
Baldr is according to Norse mythology, the second son of Odin, and the son of Frigg and died because of spear made of mistletoe made by Loki being thrown at Baldr by his blind brother upon the suggestion of Loki.
Freya
In Norse mythology, Freya (also spelled Freyja) is the love goddess. She is very beautiful and highly desirable. When the evil giants in these myths get the gods in some kind of a bind, they usually demand possession of Freya as the price of ransom. Of course, this price is always unacceptable, and some other solution to the problem must be found.
One of Freya's noteworthy attributes is her necklace, Brisingamen. She bought the necklace from four "dark elves", masters of the making of things, and she paid a very high price for it: among other things, it cost her her beloved husband.
Freya's brother is Frey, who is closely associated with the mythic history of the kings of Sweden. He is a male "love god" counterpart to his sister, and also a god of agricultural fertility.
There is an ongoing debate among people who study this mythology about whether the modern English word "Friday" was originally "Freya's Day", or if it is "Frigg's Day", named after Odin's wife.
Frigg
Frigg is a goddess in Norse mythology, she is said to be the wife of Odin.
Loki
Loki is the god of mischief or evil from Norse mythology. He is sometimes viewed as the enemy of Thor.
Odin
In Norse mythology, Odin is usually said to be the ruler of the gods. Odin has many alternate names, and many areas of interest, including war and death, poetry and art, and wisdom in general. Also, Odin is credited with the creation of humans, along with two other gods, either his brothers Vili and Ve, or his friends Hoenir and Lodur, depending on which mythological source you happen to read.
In the myths, Odin is easy to recognize, even when he is disguised as Wegtam the Wanderer. He traded one eye for a drink from the Well of Wisdom, so he wears a large floppy hat pulled low over his face, or drapes his long gray hair over the missing eye. He is said to wear a blue or gray cloak. Of course, as things tend to go in myths, the humans he encounters don't usually know who he is when he arrives on their doorsteps dressed this way. Some people treat their visitor poorly, while others treat him well, with predictable results.
Odin is said to have children by several different giantesses, including his most famous son, Thor. His wife, however, is Frigga, the goddess of marriage, motherhood, and the home. Odin and Frigga have a son named Balder.
When Odin goes to war, his special weapon is a spear named Gungnir. He sometimes travels on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir. He knows what's happening in the world of men because his two ravens Hugin and Munin (Thought and Memory) fly over the world each day, then come home to tell him what they've seen and heard.
"Odin" is this god's Scandinavian name. In Old Anglo-Saxon, his name is "Woden", from which we get our modern English word "Wednesday". In German, his name is "Wotan", and you will see him in Wagner's famous Ring Cycle operas. Although these are all names for the same god, his personality changes a little in these different Northern European subcultures: Wotan is more of a stern war general, while Odin is more of a politician.
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is the god of thunder. These old stories say he is the son of Odin and a giantess Iorth (Earth). Thor is described as having red hair and blue eyes. He is enormously strong, and he enjoys doing battle with evil giants. His special weapon is a magic hammer named Mjolnir that always hits whatever Thor throws it at, and then returns to his hand. The myths state that he makes thunder by riding across the tops of clouds in his chariot, which is drawn by two very large and aggressive goats.
In one of the myths, Thor's hammer is stolen by a giant, who holds it for ransom. This giant says he will give the hammer back if the gods give him the sun, the moon, and the love goddess Freya in exchange. Rather than pay the ransom, it is suggested that Thor dress as Freya, with a thick veil covering his face, and go to get the hammer back himself. Thor really does not like the idea of dressing as a woman, but the other gods talk him into it. After several near-mishaps, the plan works. The giant, still thinking Thor is Freya, places the hammer in his lap. Thor throws off the veil and dress, kills the giant and all the other giant guests at the wedding, then goes home.
Thor's wife is the very blonde and beautiful Sif, the goddess of grain. This pairing is significant, as it was once thought that lightning fertilized the fields.
In English, the word "Thursday" was originally "Thor's Day". In German, Thor is called Donner, which literally means "Thunder".
During the heathen Viking era, Thor was an enormously popular god in Northern Europe. Many people of the time wore hammer amulets, much as modern Christians wear crosses today.
The Comic
Since 1962, a comic book has been published on-and-off in which Thor is the superhero by Marvel Comics. The creators of this comic used some of the original mythic material, but did not follow it completely. For example, Thor is shown with blond hair in the comic, and other aspects of the myths were significantly changed.
Tyr
In Norse mythology, Tyr is one of the most important gods, although very few stories about him have survived. In pre-Viking-era mythology, as reported to us by the Roman author Tacitus, Tiw (the Germanic form of "Tyr") was the leader of the gods. During the Dark Ages, very little is known about the specifics of this culture. When we see the culture again in the 9th and 10th Centuries, something has happened: Tyr has receded into the background and Odin is much more prominent.
In the most important surviving story about Tyr, the gods have decided that the fearsome wolf named Fenris must be bound and imprisoned. But Fenris is so fierce and strong, no one knows how to accomplish this. Eventually, some trickery is suggested: magic chains will be constructed, and Fenris will be dared to break them. Fenris is very proud of his strength, and cannot resist the challenge. Of course, the gods hope he will not be able to break these chains, but he does. Finally, since nothing seems to be able to bind Fenris, an even more magical binding is made, but it is made from things that are essentially nothing. When this is shown to Fenris, he does not like the look of it, but he agrees to be bound if one of the gods will place a hand in Fenris's mouth during the test of this magic binding. Among gods known for their bravery, only Tyr is brave enough to do this. Initially, he offers his left hand, but Fenris insists on Tyr's right hand. Tyr is a famous swordsman, and the loss of his right hand will be an enormous loss to the gods in their wars against evil giants. Still, this must be done, and Tyr does it. The magic binding will not break, and Tyr loses his hand, but the worlds of the Norse myths are safe again, for a while at least.
Among the heathen Vikings, all sworn oaths were considered important, but oaths sworn on the right hand of Tyr were especially sacred.
Tyr's wife's name is Zisa. Almost nothing is known about her beyond her name.
The Germanic "Tiw" form of Tyr's name is the source of our modern English word "Tuesday". Looking back even farther in the history of languages, and then tracing his name forward again along the Southern European route, Tyr's name becomes "Deus". In other words, Tyr is literally a god whose name means "god".
Vorbis
Vorbis is a deity of fire in Norse mythology.
