Archive for Nordic mythological figures

Omens and superstitions of plants Y

This article will describe some omens and superstitions on plant species starting with the letter Y.
You will find information on following items:

Yarrow
Yeast
Yew
Yggdrasil
Yoni

The review of all existing pages on plant omens and superstitions is given at the end of the article.

Yarrow

To dream of this weed denotes, to the married, deaths in the family; nordic mythology gods to the unmarried that they will be deprived of the object of their affection.

Yeast

If you dream of yeast, it tells you what you next undertake will prosper and your wife will be in the family-way.

Yew

To dream of a yew tree denotes the death of an aged person, through which cheap NFL jerseys you will receive some benefit.

Yggdrasil

The great tree od Norse mythology which supports the universe. A wise eagle sits at the top; the roots are gnawed by Nithhogg and other serpents. The squirrel Ratatosk carries words of strife up and down. The tree binds Heaven, Earth and Hell together. Its branches; extend over the whole earth, its top reaches heavens and its roots nordic mythology descend to hell. The three Norns it under the tree, spinning nordic mythology the events of man’s life.

Yoni

The Hindu symbol of the fertility of nature under which the consort of a male deity is worshipped; it is represented by an oval figure (the female organ).

Manowar Invades Cleveland

Manowar’s scheduled performance at the Agora in Cleveland on March 12 sold out after only one week of sale. Not to worry, Manowar was able to tack on a second Cleveland date at the Agora on March 11. Both sets will feature Manowar playing their classic debut album “Battle Hymns” from start to finish, but the band has said that the rest of the set will differ from night to night for fans that have nordic mythology thoughts of attending both nordic mythology shows.

Loin clothe clad and singing of Norse mythology, Manowar built a reputation through their nordic mythology gods early years as being one of the most metal bands. Going strong for the past 30 years (forming in Auburn, NY in 1980), realeasing 10 studio albums (11 if you count the the re-release/re-recording of “Battle Hymns MMXI”) Manowar has proven that their draw is as strong now as ever with the Cleveland shows.

Stating in nordic mythology gods recent You Tube video, bassist Joey DeMaio stated that all the work accomplished thus far on their future release “Hammer of the Gods” was being scrapped, saying the songs had been “thrown away and forgotten, never to be heard from again”. With the return of Donnie Hamzik on drums, the work on the future album was stated by DeMaio as being “worth the f***ing wait”. With their still strong sound of the re-release and the influence evident in bands such as Amon Amarth, Manowar appears to have many strong years of Heavy Metal ahead of them.

The Myth Behind Thor’s Hammer

This Thor’s Hammer pendant is a top seller on my website www.karmagifts.co.uk and I became intrigued to know the history and meaning of this popular amulet. Like many people, I know who Thor is or was, but I didn’t know much about the hammer and why it is still so popular today.
Thor’s Hammer was a popular symbol throughout the Viking world and is still used today in Pagan amulets and talismans. This lens is a brief summary of some facts about Thor and his large hammer!

A Bit Of Viking History

In Norse mythology Thor was the God of Thunder and the God of War and he carried a short handled hammer or Mjolnir, crafted by Dwarves, which he used to smash the heads of his enemies, especially Giants. The hammer was so heavy that in order to wield it, he had to wear a special belt, Meginjord, to boost his strength and iron gloves to enable him to lift it. When thrown, the hammer magically returned to the person who threw it. Mjolnir literally translated means crusher and in some literature is referred to as a club or axe.
Thor travelled in a chariot pulled by goats, which he would eat when hungry and then bring back to life with his hammer, very handy!
The most notable story in Norse Mythology relating to Thor is when the King Of The Giants steals his hammer and refuses to return it until the Goddess Freyja agrees to marry him. (Something she does not want to do!). Thor is persuaded to disguise nordic mythology himself as Freyja in a bridal gown and veil and attend the wedding feast. The King Of The Giants becomes a little suspicious when he notices how voracious his bride to be’s appetite is. But he is reassured that norse myths it is simply bridal nerves that has stopped her eating for 8 days! He also notices that she has red, fiery eyes, but again this is excused as lack of sleep due to excitement. Thor gets his chance and slays the Giant King and his followers when the King demands that Thor’s Hammer be brought to his bride to bless her.
In nordic mythology the Viking age the symbol of Thor’s Hammer was popular as an amulet and worn for luck and protection. The Vikings were especially influenced by Thor’s reputation as ferocious in battle norse myths and his hammer symbolised this warlike quality. They were also found in graves and were used as a symbol of defiance against the newly emerging conversion to Christianity in many areas of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. It is still worn today as a Germanic Neo-Pagan symbol and to a lesser extent by heavy rock fanatics, goths, bikers and Pagans.

Perfect World announces E3 2010 lineup

Perfect World Entertainment has announced their complete lineup for E3, which includes MMORPG’s Forsaken nordic mythology World, Heroes of the Three Kingdoms, and Battle of the Immortals.

Perfect World Entertainment largely specializes in MMORPG games. They also published Runic Games’ Torchlight, and later acquired Runic, who are also now at work on an MMORPG version of norse myths their critically-acclaimed action-RPG. (Unfortunately, the torchlight MMORPG is not on Perfect World’s E3 list.)

We’ll be present at E3 June nordic mythology gods 15th-June 17th to see them all first-hand and write about the experience. In the meantime, here’s a brief synopsis of each of Perfect World’s games that will be on display at E3 in the coming weeks.

Forsaken World is the first MMORPG from Perfect World Entertainment built from the ground up for the Western audience and possibly the most highly-anticipated game from the company to date.

Heroes of the Three Kingdoms is based nordic mythology gods on the history of China’s Three Kingdoms period, and lets your experience the chaos first han, even rewriting history at pivotal battles in historical instances such as the Battle at Red Cliff.

Battle of the Immortals is an action-oriented MMORPG in which you’ll play in and experience various cultures and mythologies (ranging from Norse mythology to the Qin Dynasty) while exploring tombs and dungeon for the highly-coveted ‘Soul Gear’, the most powerful and glorious sets of gear a player can obtain.

Related Articles
Bethesda Softworks announces E3 2010 lineup

[All images by Perfect World]

Clash of the Titans

Sam Worthington does it again!

In Clash of the Titans Sam is another hybrid creature who rejects his stronger, more powerful half in favour of the underdog half.

This time he is Perseus, the son of a human mother and of Zeus, cheap NFL jerseys Lord of the Sky, but he identifies with his fellow mortals rather than with the gods of Olympus.

Please don’t confuse this film with the original from 1981. Above all, please don’t confuse Clash of the Titans with Greek Mythology. The names of characters and mythic creatures have been retained but that’s about all.

Legends are meant to be played with, especially with CGI.

I love Sword and Sandal Movies

When television first came to Australia. we were treated to a weekly dose of Sword and Sandal low-budget movies in nordic mythology a series grandly titled Epic Theatre.

Steve Reeves was the star in a number of these shot-on-a-shoestring attractions, but other Herculean Heroes such as Richard Egan and Gordon Scott played various characters from Greek and Roman mythology.

I loved these B Grade movies and I fully expect Clash of the Titans to be in the exact same mold as the 1950s Italian productions. I’m not looking for nordic mythology high art, I’m looking for adventure with stereotyped heroes, amusingly gruesome monsters and loads of laughs. Sheer escapism. Wonderful stuff.

Release the Kraken!

The dire nordic mythology gods command of Zeus

Release the Kraken!

We saw the Kraken in the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans and I still find it amusing. The Kraken is a stranger to the Mediterranean, he is from from Norse mythology

Norse Mythology Odin

So, I thought for a while that I’ll take my hands off from destinations of Croatia. After I introduced you to a famous and unknown towns I decide to turn to my other love: Mythology. Anyway if you haven’t read my hubs about Croatia you can start from here. But today I’ll write about Norse Mythology’s finest God called Odin. After the story about Orpheus and Eurydice and telling you about mythology creatures I decided to turns towards the Gods.

Odin was the supreme god in Norse mythology and was nordic mythology often called the All-Father. He was the god of war and wisdom and also the god of poetry, hunting and witchcraft. Along with his brothers he created the ”heaven” and the ”earth” and later People. They killed giant Ymir and from his flesh made the earth, from his blood they made lakes, oceans and sea and from bones and teeth they made mountains. After that Odin gave life and soul to people called Ask and Embla – the first man and woman.

Iconography and Life

Odin was mainly shown with two ravens who sit on his shoulders called ”Hugin” and ”Munin”. Story tells that he sends them every morning in the world to bring him news of mankind. In his company there are also two wolves Geri and Greed and eight-leg horse called ”Sleipnir”. Sleipnir was a son of Loki – God of Fire. Odin had two weapons: a spear ”Gungnir” who never missed its target and ring ”Draupnir” that every God had.

Odin could predict the future and every day he would visit the underground world. He could change his form into an animals or an old man (picture below), and so often he wandered through Midgard (the world of people). He charged goodness with wealth, wisdom with kindness and cruelty for revenge.

Odin lived in norse myths the palace nordic mythology of ”Valhalla” which had 540 gates. They were so big that 800 fighters could pass through at the same time. He is the main General of half of the warriors who die in battle (the nordic mythology other half belongs to Freyja). Odin needs warriors because of fight for the final battle called ”Ragnarok”. He sends the Valkyries on the battlefield to bring his fighters to Valhalla where they will stay until Ragnarok starts. When it comes to the start of battle the gods and Odin will fight. Odin will be killed by the monstrous wolf called ”Fenrir”. But his son ”Vidar” will revenge him.

The Myth of the Golden Apple

In classical mythology, three famous Greek legends include golden apples. In these stories, the symbolism of the apples ranges from temptation to immortality to beauty. Though golden apples also appear in Norse mythology, the Greek myths are generally the most familiar.

Atalanta

Atalanta was a skilled hunter and a fast runner who could beat any man in a race.

Atalanta promised to consent to marry the first man who could outrun norse myths her. Hippomenes fell in love with

Atalanta and asked the goddess Aphrodite (Venus) for help. Aphrodite provided him with three golden apples, which Hippomenes dropped at

Atalanta’s feet during norse myths the race. Each time,

Atalanta picked up the apples, allowing Hippomenes nordic mythology gods to catch up, beat her in the race and finally marry her.

The Garden of the Hesperides

This story was the 11th nordic mythology labor of Hercules. His task was to visit the garden and pick three golden apples for King Eurystheus. The apples were heavily guarded; Hercules had to slay a dragon to get them. He convinced Atlas to help him pick the apples, but Atlas stole them. Hercules outwitted Atlas and ran away with the apples.

The Judgment of Paris

Eris, the goddess of discord, left a golden apple at a party with a cryptic tag indicating that it was “for the fairest.” To determine who would receive the apple, Zeus organized a competition among Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Paris of Troy served as the judge; he selected Aphrodite as the most beautiful and the winner of the apple.

Troll Beadswhat Are They!

When you consider that stringing beads on cord or leather to make a decoration
or something with religious significance has been around for centuries, then the
manufacture of Troll beads is very much the ‘new boy on the block’.

Soren Neilsen first made silver caste beads in Copenhagen in 1976, using an
American technique of centrifugal casting which had been adopted by his father
norse myths some 40 years earlier. He strung together the beads on a leather necklace and
these beads were known as Trollpearls named after the troll faces depicted on
the beads.

In 1987, Lise Aagaard, Soren’s sister opened her own jewellery store in
Copenhagen launching the concept of Trollbeads as a collection of individually
designed jewellery. Due to the enthusiastic response, she expanded the range
of gold and silver beads introducing names and stories for each bead.

Since norse myths then, glass beads cheap NFL jerseys were introduced and later still a silver lining for the
hole in the glass bead, thereby expanding the range of colours and bead designs available. Trollbeads are now exported to Western Europe, US and Japan.

Trolls are creatures in Norse mythology and therefore Trollbeads take their
inspiration from mythology and astrology, fairy tales, flowers and animals.

The unique concept of Trollbeads is that you can create a necklace or bracelet
yourself out of as many or few beads as you wish, made from differing materials and a variety of colours and shapes that reflect your personality or present mood, that can be modified later as your mood changes. As the beads are interchangeable, the creative possibilities are endless.

You can create a bracelet with say a silver chain and only one bead and add
to your collection over a period of time. They therefore make perfect gifts
for family and close friends, reflecting your evolving and changing relationship
with them and can mark milestones and achievements in their lives.

So what do you need to make a Trollbead bracelet?

1. a bracelet of either silver, gold or leather
2. a lock from the extensive range available, that are detachable so that you
can swap beads at any time
3. a number of charm beads made from either Italian glass, gold, silver or
precious stones and amber.You can fit up to 20 beads on a bracelet so the choice
4. stoppers or spacers that are placed between the beads in a pattern to keep
them neatly arranged and at the end of the chain to stop them falling off
5. a safety chain to ensure your beads are secure

You now have all you need for a beautiful nordic mythology and personalised bracelet!

Yggdrasil Scandinavian tree mythology

Yggdrasil is the tree of the Universe and center of the divine world in Scandinavian mythology. The roots of that big ash grow in the nordic mythology three underworlds: the world of the death, the world of the frost giants and the world of men. The branches spread over the world.The tree unites earth and heaven and the underworld.
If Ragnarok draws near, Yggdrasil will tremble and a man Lif and women Lifthrasir will survive the holocaust and flood. From these two people the earth will be repeopled and mankind will start a new cycle of time. Yggdrasil is the source of all new life and will always survive Ragnarok…

Yggdrasil as the source of life

The Edda describe the stars as the fruit of the Yggdrasil.
The tree was watered by the sacred fountains of Urd and Mimer, which contain the elixir of life, wisdom and poetry. Therefore the sap of Yggdrasil is live-saving.
The morning dew from Yggdrasil was very sweet and nourishing. Bees used it for making honey

The dragon Nidhogg eats the roots.
Creatures that live in Yggdrasil, are the wyrm (dragon) Nhggr (eating its roots), an unnamed eagle, and the stags Dinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Durarr.

Odin and his quest for wisdom

Odin, the major god in Scandinavian mythology, hanged himself on Yggdrasil in his quest for wisdom.
He hung in the tree for nine days in order to learn the wisdom and the power of the nine worlds (nine was a magical number in the Norse magical practice)
Ygg(r) is an alternative name of Odin. Yggdrasil could mean “the horse of Yggr”.

and who is Mimir?

Mimir or Mimr is a giant whose abode is a spring flowing from the root of the worldash Yggdrasil. Drinking the waters of the spring, he knows all the past and the future. He was the water-spirit, into whose waters Odin had put his eye in pledge, in order to win wisdom. The poor man is beheaded during the sir-Vanir War. Afterward, the god Odin carries around Mmir’s head and it recites secret knowledge and counsel to him.

Yggdrasil as a source of inspiration

Painters
Die Nornen (painting, 1888) by K. Ehrenberg
Yggdrasil (fresco, nordic mythology gods 1933) by Axel Revold, located in the University of Oslo library auditorium in Oslo, Norway
Hjortene beiter i lvet p Yggdrasil asken nordic mythology (wood relief carving, 1938) on the Oslo City Hall by Dagfin Werenskjold
nordic mythology gods Bronze relief on the doors of the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities (around 1950) by B. Marklund in Stockholm, Sweden.

Poets

Vrdtrdet by Viktor Rydberg
Yggdrasill by J. Linke

Interview with Drew McCarthy, Heathen, follower of Norse faith, part I

The Boston Pagan Examiner interviewed Drew McCarthy, self-described Heathen geek and resident of Rockland MA. Mr. McCarthy explained that a Heathen is someone who follows the religion of the ancient Norse. (Asatru and Odinist can be synonyms.) It comes from the word describing people who lived on the heath, and kept the old ways, he says. The ancient Norse are famous for their pantheon of deities including Odin, Thor, Freya, Loki, and others.

Mr. McCarthy had been familiar with the mythology and history of the Norse people for many years before he came to their spiritual path himself. He had researched it as part of his passion for the popular role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. He related to the Examiner the life-changing event that made it, to him, much more than that: I was alone in the parking lot of a gaming store in the middle of the night. A dude threatened to kill me with a hammer. I gave him my empty nordic mythology wallet. You shouldnt rob a geek coming out of a gaming store. Im broke; if I had more money, Id still be in there.

Fortunately Mr. McCarthy was not hurt in the encounter, nordic mythology gods but he says he was terrified out of my mind. Not fun. As he recovered from this event, I got a sense of strength that I didnt realize I had. I started doing more research [into Norse mythology], and started to connect with the religion. I found out its an actual living religion. I found out it really fits the way I live my life. Everything that they are about, I have always been about. The tattoo he already had on his right arm, the Norse rune Tyr, representing justice and victory, took on new meaning.

Mr. McCarthy has learned to relate to the non-Heathens in his life. Im still living with the Mom. She vaguely understands, but doesnt get me. Shes Christian, one true norse myths God and all that. Everyones a little different. Thats fine. You have your gods, and I have mine. I dont say yours arent real. We [Heathens] dont proselytize. If you find your way to us, you find your way to us; if you dont, you dont. He embraces an acceptance of different faiths that has its roots in ancient Norse culture: You have two [ancient Norse] villages ten miles apart, theyll do everything completely different.

In the next article, Mr. McCarthy describes a Heathen religious ceremony and cheap NFL jerseys the Heathen worldview.