Norse Myths, Legends, and Tales

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Norse Myths, Legends, and Tales

Ragnarok: The End of the Gods — and the Dawn of a New World

Ragnarok doesn’t revolve around a single hero — it's the destiny of the gods themselves. Odin, Thor, Loki, Fenrir, Jörmungandr and others all play a part....

Norse Myths, Legends, and Tales

Norse myths and legends, much like those of the Slavs, were passed down orally from generation to generation. Unfortunately, this means that very few have survived to our time. However, those that were eventually recorded on paper are an invaluable source of knowledge about Norse culture and mythology.

Let’s begin with how the ancient Norse imagined the structure of the world. The cosmos was perceived as a flat disc resting on the branches of the World Tree — Yggdrasil. In addition to the human realm — Midgard — eight other worlds existed, each inhabited by wondrous beings and races.

Asgard was located in the sky above Midgard and was connected to it by a rainbow bridge. This bridge was guarded by Heimdall, the son of Odin, who protected it from unwanted visitors. He possessed extraordinary vision, enabling him to see across all nine worlds, and when danger approached, he would blow his mighty horn to warn of the invasion.