-Norse Pantheon 1 (Introduction)

Deities

Lesson 8-1/10/13

-Norse Pantheon 1 (Introduction)

Norse gods were born when the fire holding one side of Ginnungagap, a chasm (like the Greek chaos) touched the ice holding the other side, this created the giant Ymir and a cow that nourished him. Audhumbla, the cow, survived by licking ice this created the gods. The first two humans Ask and Embla made were made from driftwood, Ragnarok (the end of the world/death of the old gods) and repeat. The humans Lif and Lifprasir survived Ragnarok by hiding inside an ash tree, they then repopulated Midgard. The Nordic people viewed existence through the cosmological tree, Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil consisted of nine realms. The three worlds above the Earth, Muspelheim, the realm of fire, Alfheim, of the Ljosalfr (light elves), and Asgard, home of the Aesir gods. The three worlds on Earth, Vanaheim, of the Vanir gods, Midgard, home of humankind, and Jotunheim, home of the Jotun (giants). The three worlds below in the underworld, Svartalfheim, of the Svartalfar (dark elves) and Dvergar (dwarves) , Niflheim, region of endless night and everlasting cold, and Helheim, home of the dead. A variety of spirits also live on Yggdrasil its self. Asgard is connected to all the other realms by the Bifrost or Rainbow Bridge.

The Norse pantheon is divide into two races of gods, the Aesir and the Vanir. The Aesir are the gods of Odin's direct relation and reside in Asgard, they are the gods of consciousness and sky. The Vanir are the other gods that reside in Vanaheim and the gods of the earth, biological life, and subconscious. Among the other beings of the Norse pantheon are the Jotun, Ljosalfr, Dvergar, and wights. In Norse tradition ancestors are also worshiped as deities. The Norse believed strongly in family and that proper celebration of their ancestors would bring the family prosperity but failure to honor properly would cause the ancestor to become a Draugr (ghoul) and haunt and curse the family.

Nordic people believed in spirits that lived in particular objects and places, like streams, rocks, houses, and knives among many others. These local deities built intimate personal relationships with their worshipers and were personal guardians. The more life started to depend on crops, the more the Nordic people started to worship the gods that affected there growth such as weather and fertility gods. These agrarian Norse gods had enhanced aspects of fertility, using magic to regenerate crops, opening the door for other uses of magic.

The Norse religion is divided into two cults, the public and private cults. The public cults were a coming together of the larger community in an area to a large public meeting hall to celebrate the greater festivals. These festivals consisted of blot or ritual sacrifice of an animal followed by a large feast in the hall. The private cults were within family, usually only involving one or a few persons and focused on the rituals of day to day of life and deceased family members. Inanimate objects and people were also sacrificed in the early years, typically people were only sacrificed in times of war, the slain were the sacrifice, and times of strife, a king during a famine would be sacrificed for example. Inanimate objects were sacrificed at death, during cremation rituals possession were placed on the funeral pyre for the dead in the after life.

In the after life those who died a warriors death were taken to one of two places, either Folkvangr or Valhalla. Frejya chooses half of the slain to take to her fields in Folkvangr, the rest are taken by the Valkyrie to Odin's great hall, Valhalla. Those who die at sea are taken by the goddess Ran and upon death virgins are taken by the goddess Gefjon, every one else goes to Helheim or Hel with the goddess of the same name, reincarnation is also an option.

The peoples of the Scandinavian regions made use of sacred groves and holy grounds that reflected places on Asgard, rather than temples or buildings of worship. These places were usually secured by a permanent stone fence and each sacred place had its own rules, such as not spilling blood on holy ground. Worship could take place on holy ground, in the home, or at a horgr or piled stone altar.

The gothi or priest were shamanistic in nature, and having the greater spiritual expertise, would petition the gods on behalf of the people (unlike other religions whose priests speak to the people on behalf of their gods). The gothi were likened to the head of household and looked after the spiritual welfare of a community, and in the private cults the festivals were hosted at his home. Companion to the gothi was the Volur, or magical woman, who practiced divination, sorcery, and prophecy.