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Norse Mythology

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Although persecuted by the Church centuries ago, Norse mythology has survived and continues to amaze people. The practice of the viking religion is still practiced in parts of Germany and Scandinavia in present day. In Norse mythology, there are the Aesir and Vanir gods, along with many other beings. The stories of Norse mythology still have effects on the modern day.

The Aesir gods are the better known group of gods in Norse mythology. Some of the famous include: Odin, god of war and leader of the Aesir , Thor, god of Thunder, Baldr, god of happiness, and Loki, the trickster god. The Aesir lived in the realm known as Asgard, which was connected to Midgard (Earth) through the rainbow bridge called the Bifrost. The Aesir tribe fought with the …show more content…

The Vanir are thought to be more of gods for human and ecological fertility. Some of the Vanir include Freya, Freyr, and Njord. The Vanir gods lived in the realm called Vanaheim, which means home of the Vanir. The main contribution they gave to modern times is Friday, which is named after Freya or Freyr.

Other than the Vanir and Aesir, there were a multitude of other beings. The most important of those being the Jotuns, or giants of Jotunheim. Some of the well known Jotuns are Skadi, goddess of winter, her father Ymir, the wolf Fenrir, and Hel, ruler of the underworld. Some other beings include elves, dwarves, and valkyries. The other beings inhabited the other six realms: Jotunheim,Niflheim,Muspelheim,Alfheim,Svartalfheim, and Helheim. It is thought that the dwarves of Norse mythology helped inspire Snow White’s fairy tale.

Norse mythology continues to last in the present day. The religious practice of Norse paganism is still alive in Northern Germany and in parts of Scandinavia. They inspired the names for some days in the English language with some of the gods in their mythology. Even though there are lots of missing parts due to the Church getting rid of parts in the Germanic traditions, it still survives as a religion as more parts are uncovered. The Viking tradition survives through the amazement it brings to

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