Norse Culture Research Paper

Norse Culture and its Creation Story
Through history, human beings have tried to understand how the world around them came to be and how it relates to their lives. Creation myths are the ultimate expression of these inquiries, with almost every known culture having their own creation story. As creation myths try to answer questions related to the world surrounding humans, they can serve as a way to understand what each culture found important and what affected their lives. Norse culture is no different in this regard with their creation story, Odin and Ymir, in which the giant Ymir is slayed by the gods, and from her body, the world is created. This creation story can be related to many significant aspects of Norse life such as warfare, land

Ymir was murdered by the god Odin and his brother as she had become impossible to control. The violence that preceded the creation of the world can be interpreted as a reflection on the violence found in Norse life, were warfare among the many Scandinavian communities was a common part of life (Foote, Wilson, 1970:263). Just as their gods had dealt with Ymir through violence, Norse men dealt with their enemies with violence. Their dependence on war was also reflected on their religious beliefs, as Odin, the one who led the attack on Ymir, was considered the god of war and as such, tributes were offered and performed to him before the beginning of a conflict, such as warriors hurling Javelins over their heads as a way to express their commitment to Odin (Foote, Wilson,

As the story tells, the sky was barren before these events so the story is obviously meant to explain the origin of the sun and moon, but the interest in knowing the origins of these celestial bodies may have originated from sea navigation. Sea navigation was a critical part of Norse culture, to the point that ships are considered the symbol of the Vikings and without them, their culture could not have realized its achievements (Foote, Wilson, 1970:232). Among other things, the position of the moon and sun were used as a way for Norse sailors to know how to reach their destinations (Foote, Wilson, 1970:255). The fact that they depended on these celestial bodies in order to navigate the sea successfully, may have instigated a sense of curiosity about the nature of the moon and sun. Where did they come from? Why do they move? Their importance may have been such that the Norse men felt that they were divine in nature, which have been the origin of Sol and Moon’s