Norse gods are an important part of the Nordic culture. This aspect of the norse culture may not be so well known to outsiders unless someone has a particular interest. A millennial may not be so much bothered to know more these gods but in a way must have heard a thing or two about them.

What the nordic looks like today may hide the fact that they have had gods as key components of their mythology. To fully understand the Nordics, it makes a lot of sense to glean about their gods, their place in the past and present society.

Have you asked any Scandinavian about the number of gods and goddesses that existed in the Norse World? Most of them are familiar with them. The Norse Mythology was not popular outside Iceland and Scandinavia until the 19^th century. However, in Norse mythology, there were over seven Norse gods and goddesses.

The Norse gods are considered mythological characters, and the Norse mythology entails pre-Christian legends and beliefs. The myths of the gods are derived from the Snorri Sturluson website, Icelandic historian, politician, and poet. Apart from the Norse gods, Norse mythology involves other things such as objects, magical animals, monsters, dwarfs, and giants.

Odin: Aesir Gods’ King

Odin was the chief god of Aesir as well as Holy Hall Valhalla’s ruler. Odin came up in the myth where an old man’s image appeared in a dark cloak, and he wandered the world with the aim of acquiring knowledge. He was considered a god of wisdom since he devoted everything to trade for wisdom and knowledge.

Odin always chose the place to venture into different things, and this made him be in control over Valhalla, also known as Hall of the Fallen Warriors. Odin also hosted the brave but fallen warriors, and he even dwelt with them up to Ragnarok. Even though Odin did not personally take part in the battles, he is a god of war because of his human army and power.

Ordinarily, it is vague to understand the myth since he did not join any battles, yet he is a Norse god of war. He is considered a god of war in a special way due to the mental and magic forces that he possesses. For instance, he had the powers of making his enemies deaf, blind, and afraid of war that they gave up and stopped fighting.

Thor: Asgard’s Loyal Defender

Thor is the god of strength, storms, lightning, and thunder. Thor is believed to be the son of Fjorgyn and Odin. He is also Sif’s husband as well as Tyr and Baldur’s half-brother and the father of Modi and Magni.

Thor is mentioned in the Germanic people’s recorded history and during the Viking age. He is identified as a barrel-chested and ugly individual who carries magical weapons. Thor’s most famous weapon is the hammer Mjolnir, which could level mountains. The other attributes associated with him include mental toughness and physical power.

Thor was also considered the god of hallowing, fertility, and agriculture. Besides, Sif, Thor’s wife’s golden hair, symbolized grain fields, and that is the reason their union embodies the verdancy and fruitfulness of the lands. He was also regarded as the strongest being among all men and gods.

Freya: The Goddess of Destiny and Fate

The common thing among the other three gods is that they all originated from Asgard. However, Freya was a unique goddess since she came from Vanaheim, Vanir god tribe land. She was the goddess of jewelry, sex, death, and love.

Freya was a strong leader, and she presided over Folkvangr, the holy land. Folkvangr is almost the same as Valhalla because chosen fallen warriors were separated, and half would move to Valhalla as the other half moved with Freya to Folkvangr. Also, she traveled across the world to seek her lost husband, and she wept tears of gold.

Loki: The Trickster God

He is considered to have qualities that are linked to the mischievous and chaotic aspects of an Egyptian god. Among the other Norse gods, he is the trickster as he had the power of shapeshifting. He is projected as an individual who is not entirely evil but rather scheming in cruel actions.

Loki had a complex relationship with Thor, and in one instance, he kept insulting Thor but then went into hiding as he feared hammer Mjölnir. Moreover, Loki is believed to be the one responsible for the deaths of several Norse gods, including his son Fenrir killing Odin. Also, his other offspring, Jörmungandr, would poison Thor resulting in his death.

Balder: The God of Purity and Light

Balder was the youngest son of Frigg and Odin and half-brother to Thor. He was considered as a person of the gracious divine, wise, and fair as his beauty abashed even the elegant flowers that were before him. As compared to the rest of the Norse gods, he was the most exquisite as he flaunted its embellished pillars and gilded silver components that allowed just the people with pure hearts to enter.

Hel: The Underworlds Ruler

In most cases, hell is linked to external damnation. Hel was Loki’s daughter as well as giant Angrboda. She performed the duty of judging and deciding the fate of other individuals that entered her realm.

Besides, she is portrayed to be decomposed with the body and face of living women but with the legs and thighs of a corpse. Among the Norse goddesses, she was the most powerful.

Tyr: The Norse god of war

Tyr is considered the original god of war and the bravest as compared to the other gods. He took an interest in justice, and he was believed to be a god of peace and war as he was the one who decided the individuals who were supposed to win wars. Tyr remained with one hand after being bitten by wolf Fenrir, and that confirms his bravery.

Freyr: God of Fertility

He is among the loved Norse gods and Freya’s twin sister, and he had unique origins as he belonged to the Vanir tribe. Freyr was also a respected god, and he was in charge of fertility.

Considering his associations with important avenues, Freyr was the favoured being of worship and reverence when it comes to harvest celebrations and marriage rites.

Ymir: The ancestor of giants

Just like the other mythologies, including Egyptian and Mesopotamian, Norse had its myth in the form of Ymir, who is believed to be the ancestor of all giants as well as the other creatures.

Ymir is thought to be the first being created by the ice of Niflheim, and it is combined with Muspelheim’s heat. Ymir was also responsible for birthing females, males as well as other mythical beings that bore future generations.