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many respects gods and goddesses worshipped by Vikings were
similar to humans. Like humans they had good and bad characteristics
and, like humans, they could die. |
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BALDIN
was the son of Odin and Frigga and was the most beloved of
all the Aesir. He was the god of radiance and light, bringing joy
to all around him. |
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BRAGI
was the god of poetry. He also was son of Odin. With his
magical harp he could sing so beautifully that Odin declared him
the bard to the gods. |
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FORSETE
was the god of justice because of his great wisdom. |
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FREYA
was the goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful
of the goddesses. She is the patron goddess of crops and birth.
She loved music, spring and flowers, and was particularly fond of
the elves (fairies). |
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FREYR
was the god of sun and rain, and the patron of bountiful harvests.
He was both a god of peace and a brave warrior. He possessed a magic
sword that could fight by itself. He could hold all the other gods
in the bag he carried in his belt. |
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FRIGG
was the wife of Odin, and patron of marriage, motherhood
and fertility. |
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HEIMDALL
was the guardian of Asgard (the home of the gods) because
he could see perfectly for a hundred miles in night or day and needed
little sleep. |
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LOKI
was the god of mischief or evil, because he was capable of the cruelest
treachery. He betrayed the gods on numerous occasions. |
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NJORD
was the god of the sea during the summer and was known to
provide good weather to those who pleased him. |
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ODIN
was the leader of gods, and father of many of them. He was
the god of wisdom, war and death. Odin had the power to make the
dead speak and in this way he could question the wisest amongst
them. |
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THOR
was the Norse god of thunder and one of the most powerful
gods. Thor was usually portrayed as a large, powerful man with a
red beard and eyes of lighting. Despite his ferocious appearance,
he was very popular as the protector of both gods and humans against
the forces of evil. |
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SIF
was the golden-haired wife of the god Thor and a fertility
goddess. |
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TYR
was the boldest of the gods, who inspired courage and heroism
in battle. Tyr was represented as a man with one hand, because his
right hand had been bitten off by the gigantic wolf Fenrir (in old-Norse,
the wrist was called 'wolf-joint'). His attribute is a spear, which
was a symbol of justice as well as a weapon. |
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ULLER
was the god of winter. He dressed in fur and walked in snowshoes
through the western mountains. |
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VIDAR
was the god of silence and revenge. |
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| "The
Big Myth" © Distant Train 2002 |
