Introduction | Browse the Norse Pantheon

The Gung-Ho Gods of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland. The Finns and Lapps thought these lot were smelly and rude so they've got a section all of their own. Bloody snobs.

The line between Gods and demons which is clearly distinguishable in other Pantheons is conspicuous by it's absence in Norse Mythology. Their whole belief was not so much a case of good versus evil as order versus chaos. Their demons were for the best part Giants and the rest part the Gods psyhcological issues. They were just as rude and crude as the great unwashed, with giant hammer to the head antics always good for a giggle at someone else's expence.

The Nordic people didn't write as such, they used special characters known as Runes, which were all very pretty but it would've taken 20 billion years to write a single paragraph. This was a little too long as the world was pencilled in for total destruction on Ragnarok.

Word of mouth was order of the day and fortunately a nice chap called Snorri Sturluson logged the heathen gods with ink and paper and stuck them all in a book called the Prose Edda before they were lost for all time. Thanks to him we have Tyr's day, Wodens day, Thors day and Friggs day, the other days had ridiculous names that were pulled from a giant hat to make up the rest of the week.

Scandinavias most famous export, apart from Carlsberg lager, were the folks known as the Norse seafaring traders from the Fjords. "WHO?" I hear you cry. Oh, you know them. This is simply a very polite name for the thieving looting mercenaries most commonly known as The Vikings - 'Probably the biggest pirates in the world'. They sailed all over the place raising holy hell and they took their Gods with them : Baghdad, North Africa, Russia. Lief Erikkson even took a looting party to North America. But they also happily raided closer to home.

In 787 three long boats landed at Dorset and a toffee nosed royal official demanded they pay trading tax. What a laugh they had .. just before they murdered him. They weren't laughing when they attacked a Monastery in Jarrow though. The Monks opened a can of whupp-ass with a ferocity the vikings had never seen (must be something in the holy water up north) and killed the Viking chiefs.
The remainder of the crew made a hasty retreat but were washed up at Tynemouth and finished off by the Geordie locals.

Database entry : 21 May 2008 ~ Last update : 21 May 2008