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Is Norse Mythology Still Relevant Today

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Nate Lawton
Mr. Bloom
Foundations of Civilizations
11 April 2023 Norse Mythology: How Thousand-Year-Old Stories Remain Relevant
Norse mythology has captured the imagination of people both today and a thousand years ago because of its strong hero characters and entertaining stories. Mythology is a set of stories and legends that shape a society’s culture and beliefs. The Scandinavians created Norse mythology a thousand years ago, and it featured many stories and gods such as Thor, Loki, and Heimdall. Modern media and present-day cultures now reference these gods and Norse mythology in general. While originally created as a way to explain the world's creation, Norse mythology has now become a source of entertainment and fascination for people …show more content…

A key representation of Norse mythology in modern media is in the Marvel franchise, both in comic books and movies. This truly spread the knowledge of the characters of Norse mythology to the general public and allowed the ancient mythology to be much better known in the present-day. “[The] Marvel Cinematic Universe successfully adapted certain characters and aspects of Norse mythology into modern pop culture by making necessary alterations to characters, storyline and setting.” To suit the story for a modern audience, the modern storyteller may alter the content but the original stories and themes remain the same, allowing audiences to enjoy the adaptations of early Norse stories. The stories have changed since Norse times but “Marvel managed to keep the essence of the Norse mythology intact.” Marvel’s highly successful movies feature the Norse mythological characters such as Thor, Loki, and Heimdall, cementing their legacy in the present day. However, Marvel is not the only company to spread the influence of ancient mythology, “There is an evolution of cultural consciousness as we see modern iterations of ancient myth gain traction in popular culture. These modern iterations—movies, video games, tabletop games, and more—are shared across cultural boundaries, spreading different myths and cultural identities across permeable boundaries. As these narratives are shared, they evolve to encompass changing values and cultural norms.” Not only is Norse mythology becoming popular, but other mythologies are having a resurgence as well. The modern media takes these mythologies into their culture and alter them to fit the current lifestyle, but still retain the same stories, perfectly blending past and present. “The new examples of myth in movies, games, and books are

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