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Norse Mythology

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Norse Mythology
Mythology Essay The great philosopher Aristotle once said, “Men created gods after their own image, not only with regard to their form but with regard to their mode of life” and the Vikings or Norse-men of Scandinavia were perfect examples of this. In Norse mythology, powerful deities held the power to easily vanquish any threat that they came across. Odin, known as the most powerful god in Asgard, could blind, deafen, impair his enemies weapons, or simply speak a word that would extinguish flames, weaken waves or turn the wind. To a Viking, who sought nothing but destruction and subjugation, the idea of an effortless victory must have been enthralling. These Nords believed that their gods were capable of bestowing power that would enable them to overpower anything that stood in their way. The omnipotent Odin ruled over Asgard, one of the nine worlds and home to the Norse gods of the Æsir. As the foremost of the chief race of divinities, Odin sat upon the throne, Hlidskjalf, that allowed him to see all occurrences in the nine worlds. On the
NorseGods web-site it states that “His two ravens, Huginn and Munin (Thought and Memory) fly over the world daily and return to tell him everything that has happened in Midgard (http://thenorsegods.com/odin/).” He is also known as the god of magic, wisdom, wit, and learning. He is known to be associated with war and bloodshed also, however the wars fought by Odin existed strictly in the mental plane of awareness. As Odin is one of the most powerful and highly regarded deities, its understandable why the Nords set such a great importance upon logic. Another aspect that the Vikings held in high regard was strength and Thor, the son of Odin, ruled this aspect. Thor wielded the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, which brought down lightning bolts each time it was hurled. This hammer held such an imposing force of power that not even a god could normally control it. The only way Thor was able to maintain this legendary weapon was



Cited: "The Aesir: The Male Gods of Asgard." Aesir Norse Mythology. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2013. "Norse Mythology | Gods and Goddesses." Norse Mythology. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2013. "Norse Mythology." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 May 2013. "Odin." Odin. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2013.

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