Show Notes
The universe according to Norse mythology is organized around a giant ash tree called Yggdrasill. But did you know that the motif of worshiping a giant, cosmically-central tree shows up in 8th-century Christian literature from England? And did you know the word "Yggdrasill" might be a reference to a story about Odin learning the runes by means of hanging himself? This episode doesn't cover everything the myths say about the famous World Tree, but it does dive into the importance of the great, cosmic ash to the ancient Norse and other pagan, Germanic societies.
Sources:
“Cosmology” by Mathias Nordvig in “Pre-Christian Religions of the North” Volume III, 2020
“Dictionary of Northern Mythology”, by Rudolf Simek, 2010
“Dream of the Rood”, transl. by Richard Hamer, 1970
“Evergreen Ash: Ecology and Catastrophe in Old Norse Myth and Literature”, by Christopher Abram, 2019
“Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs” by John Lindow, 2001
“Sacred Tree and Holy Grove” by Joseph S. Hopkins at mimisbrunr.info, 2020
“The Forest in Old High German Literature” by Michael J. Swisher in “Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik”, 1988
“The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Carolyne Larrington, 2014
“The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995
Contact:
Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW
Music:
Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com). Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
More from Norse Mythology: The Unofficial Guide
Are the gods the good guys or the bad guys? On that note, did ancient Norse people ever worship the jötnar? This week we take a look at what it really means to be a god in the Norse mind. Two surprising sources will help inform our analysis: a horse phallus preserved in herbs and an Icelandic volcano. Don't miss it! Sources: Giants” by Margaret Clunies Ross in Pre-Christian Religions of the North volume II, 2020 “Cyclical Rituals” by Jens Peter Schjødt, also in Pre-Christian Religions of the North volume II, 2020. “Ritual responses to catastrophic volcanism in Viking Age iceland: Reconsidering surtshellir cave through bayesian analyses of AMS dates, tephrochronology, and texts” by Kevin Smith, et al in the Journal of Archaeological Science volume 126, 2021. “Lausavísa from Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar in Heimskringla 1” by Diana Whaley in “Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to circa 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1.” 2012. “The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Carolyne Larrington, 2014 “The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995 Contact: Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW Music: Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This time we dig into a rarely discussed aspect of Norse mythology: stealing your enemy's power by eating their heart or drinking their blood. But just who's power can be stolen by way of this gory ritual? Animals? Monsters? Humans? Let's find out together. Sources: “Heimskringla Volume 1, The Beginnings to Óláfr Tryggvason” transl. by Alison Finlay and Anthony Faulkes, 2011 “Gesta Danorum” transl. by Karsten Friis-Jensen and Peter Fisher, 2015 “The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki” transl. By Jesse Byock, 1998 “The Dating of Eddic Poetry: Evidence from Alliteration” by Haukur Þorgeirsson, 2016 “Dating the Old Norse Poetic Edda” by Christopher Sapp, 2022 "Eaten hearts and supernatural knowledge in Eiríks saga rauða" by Andrea Maraschi, 2018 “The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Edward Pettit, 2023 “The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995
After a nice, long break, NMTUG is back to cover a relatively obscure topic in Norse mythology: the dísir. What makes the dísir distinct from valkyries, norns, and other death-entangled women? Let's find out. Sources: “The Merseburg Spells” by Joseph S. Hopkins, 2023
Time for another deep dive! This time into the mysterious origins of the one called Hel: the daughter of Loki and the sister of two giant monsters. Who does she own upon death? The answer may not be quite as simple as you think.
In our final installment of Völsunga Saga (for now), it's what you've all been waiting for: We finally cover the tale of Sigurðr, the most famous of all Norse heroes who slew the dragon Fáfnir, and his tragic love with the valkyire Brynhildr. There's fire, murder, mayhem, and one ring to curse them all. Don't miss it!