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Loki: Central in myth, absent from cult
Whilst British actor Tom Hiddleston has received fanfare and plaudits for his duplicitous depiction of Loki on the small and silver screens, people in Viking societies had a far more complicated relationship with the eternal trickster of Norse mythology.4 months ago — Culture and religion -
The Prose Edda: Snorri Sturluson's guide to Norse mythology
Do you often find it hard to tell the difference between Thor and Tyr? Unsure of the relationship between Baldr and Bragi? Well, thanks in part to a 13th-century CE poet and politician, there is a textbook that serves as an ultimate guide to the rich complexities of Norse mythology.5 months ago — Culture and religion -
Skíðblaðnir: Freyr's magical ship and its dwarf-made origins
People in Viking societies were some of history's best sailors, as their ships transformed the culture, economics, and politics of the age. Little wonder that their mythology has a rich maritime theme that runs through it, as epitomized by the magical ship Skíðblaðnir.7 months ago — Culture and religion -
The sky, according to the Vikings: Sun chariots, moon wolves, and world trees
In Norse cosmology, the sky was a dynamic backdrop that saw a host of beings, deities, and even trees animate it with an interplay of divine motion and cosmic struggle.10 months ago — Culture and religion -
Bound in pain: How the gods punished Loki
The themes of divine retribution and fate are no strangers to mythologies the world over. In the rich tapestry of Norse mythology, how the gods punished Loki occupies a central place in the cataclysmic events leading to Ragnarök.11 months ago — Culture and religion -
The dísir: Mysterious female spirits of fate and kin in Norse belief
The dísir occupy the space between deities, ancestral spirits, and protective guardians in Norse mythology. More mysterious than Valkyries or Norns, they embodied Norse ideas of life, death, protection, and destruction.11 months ago — Culture and religion -
Gefjon: The plow goddess who shaped Denmark
Nowadays, only a football or handball match stirs tension between the modern Scandinavian nations of Denmark and Sweden. United by a shared culture dating back to the Viking Age, we look at the Norse goddess said to have separated them with a plow.1 year ago — Culture and religion -
The giant of stone and the Norse God of Thunder: Thor's fight with Hrungnir
The epic tale of the clash of these two Norse titans involves horse racing, betting, a drunk party guest overstaying his welcome, and the curious origin of flint.1 year ago — Culture and religion -
Kvasir and the mead of poetry: The god who bled wisdom
Born from the spit of the gods and said to be the wisest of all humankind, Kvasir was a mythical skald whose story ends in murder and leaves behind the gift of poetry.1 year ago — Culture and religion -
The horse, the builder, and the trickster: How Asgard got its walls
Blue-collared construction work meets mythological fantasy in this ripping and raunchy tale from the Norse sagas.1 year ago — Culture and religion
