Norse mythology: basics

In short: The Norse mythology of the Viking Age tells of gods such as Odin, Thor and Loki, the world tree Yggdrasil and the end of the world, Ragnarök. It was recorded in writing mainly in Iceland.

In more detail: The main sources are the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda from the 13th century.

In detail

• Odin: Father of the gods, god of wisdom and war, sacrificed an eye for knowledge.
• Thor: God of thunder with the hammer Mjölnir, protector of humans.
• Loki: Cunning shapeshifter, sometimes helper, sometimes bringer of misfortune.
• Yggdrasil: The world ash tree connecting nine worlds.
• Valhalla: Hall for warriors fallen in battle.
• Ragnarök: The mythical end of the world with a battle of the gods.
• Legacy: Weekday names such as Thursday (Thor) come from this; compare Greek mythology (griechische-mythologie-grundlagen).