The thing most misunderstood part about scandinavian mythology is that it was never actualy a religion. Everything we know about the norse pantheon comes from The Eddas, a 13th century work wrote centuries after they were christianized. The author later admitted most of the gods were talked up heroes and that ragnarok was drafted from Revelations and the end of paganism in an increasingly Christian world.
Re: Norse Gods and Goddesses By: WhiteRav3n / Knowledgeable
Post # 7 Oct 11, 2011
Snorri (the most famous edda translator and a Christian) claimed that any pre-christian deities/figures were historical people/events. Honestly, that's a nice way for a Christian to say the work has historical value but no religious revelance. Snorri holds little value to other scholars/historians. Norse mythology was originally oral tradition passed down from word of mouth and recorded down when the people were noticing their traditions fading away through time.
There are plenty of archeological/historical finds that support the Poetic Edda (the Elder Edda not Snorri's "Younger Edda"), including multiple runestones depicting scenes including the gods. There are also many nordic cities named after these gods.
Blot was the practice of german tribes. Norse mythology was apart of a religion. And there are statues of the gods found in places that appear to have been used for worship. Although temples were not utilized, they still erected images of their gods. They were a lot like druids/shamans except it was maintained by women.
There are not only eye witness accounts of the practices of these german tribes with artifacts and bodies found to support the claims.
Stay away from the "younger eddas" written by Snorri. They are indeed tainted by Christian influence. But don't discredit Norse Mythology due to one man's interpretation. It takes major digging. But the info is out there.
Re: Norse Gods and Goddesses By: WhiteRav3n / Knowledgeable
Post # 10 Oct 12, 2011
If that were the case, they would be exhaulted as living on earth. Throughout time, no mythology was ever ashamed of discussing incarnated gods or ascended mortals. Polytheistic or monotheistic religion, it doesn't matter. Look at Hercules, Achilles, Jesus (Horus), Moses, and Buddah. All portrayed as men (Horus embodied multiple pharoahs) walking among normal people yet exaggerated in legend as some sort of godlike person. Don't get me wrong, I respect these men for their wisdom and talent. But they were still men. Perhaps in spirit, they were not. Who knows? All mythology includes historical events, look at the Bible. But that doesn't mean that everything in mythology were originally historical men/women. Just because the Trojan War took place, doesn't mean that historically a woman named Aphrodite made Helen fall in love with Paris. Aphrodite was a goddess, an unseen deity who has spanned the ages by many names that was cleverly intertwined with the story of a historical event. It demonstrates the perspective and belief of the people of that time. It's how they saw the event, through the eyes of their religion.
Going back to Norse belief. How about yggdrasil and the nine worlds? Hel and her place of the dead? That's not history, that's religious belief. It's true that the Norse gods and goddesses have many human characteristics, but so does the Greek pantheon and many other cultural beliefs.
I highly recommend the book Parallel Myths by J.F. Bierlein to anyone interested in mythology. When you see the connections between all religions so clearly cut as Bierlein does, you will not attempt to disclaim any mythology.Within the god's personalities we gain a glimpse of the people who worshipped them. If you choose to use the magick of these cultures, it's imperative to understand those who used the magick and the beliefs behind it. Since we do not have a time machine. The ancient texts, artifacts, etc are all we have to go by. BUT since many of these gods and goddesses appear with different names, yet obviously they are same being, we can learn about the deities through their many faces among various cultures.
