Loki

http://saxons.etrusia.co.uk/saxons_thursday.php
Saxons & Vikings in Britain
24 November 2010

Loki, the god that was connected to fire and magic. He was born from giants, but then crafted his was into becoming a god. Loki was crafty, a very sly being. He was also malicious and was always eager to take the life of many. Loki was a shapeshifter, which added to his cunning persona, by being able to change into form of whoever he wanted he could deceive others and stir up trouble. With the power of being a shapeshifter, most would never know his true appearance, he could have just used someone else’s features for the look of his “real” appearance. Loki would use this power for mischief and tricks in order to get his way throughout the gods. Even with all of these villainous qualities he was very also very heroic in nature. He had three children, Fenrir, Jormungand, and the goddess hel, which all became some kind of symbol for evil among the gods. There were many of things that Loki despised, but he hated the gods of Asgard and continually sought to overthrow them. His worst exploit was the murder of the the god Balder, for which he was punished by Thor (Columbia University Press). He was finally bound to a rock by ten chains and tortured by drops of venom from a serpent overhead (HarperCollins). It was prophesied that when Ragnarok (the end of the world for the gods) came, Loki, with the help of his monstrous children - Fenrir the wolf, the Midgard serpent, and the goddess Hel - would lead the enemies of heaven (Colombia University Press). The major story that Loki appeared in was “Loki’s Children and the Binding of Fenrir.” This story explains the most of his life and persona. Loki was evil, but he was still a god. 




Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. “Loki.” HarperCollins. Literary Reference Center Plus. EBSCOhost. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 24 November 2010. <http://ezp.tccd.edu:2327/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=25837532&site=lrc-plus>.

Columbia University Press. “Loki.” Columbia University Press. Literary Reference Center Plus. EBSCOhost. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 24 November 2010. <http://ezp.tccd.edu:2327/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=39018752&site=lrc-plus>. 

Thor



< http://fantasy.mrugala.net/Boris%20Vallejo/index.php?page=6>
"Thor face a un geant"
By: Boris Vallejo
22 November 2010



Thor, was the God of thunder and also the son of Odin.  Thor is possibly one of the most recognized Norse Gods in all of the world. His attributes are of a strong, buff, very athletic, and big stature. Thor  also was known for his flowing red hair and beard. “Thor was popular as the benevolent protector of man. His most precious possessions are his magic hammer, the thunderbolt Mjollnir, a belt of strength, and a pair of iron gloves” (HarperCollins). Thor was the patron and protector of peasants and warriors. As a god of might and war he was represented as extremely powerful and fearless, occasionally slow-witted (Columbia University Press). He was a God of the people, always there for them and this also made him unique. He was very closely associated with marriage, and also associated with agriculture. This almost gives him a human perspective of life, yet he is supernatural. The physical features of Thor present him to be a strong willed man, and someone you don’t question or mess around with. Yet, it is shown that he also has a softer side and can be more of a human, since he is associated with the beauty and loving nature of weddings. Also with the basis of agriculture that presents an earth-like love for the world and all of its nature. There are the assumptions of many that Beowulf was made to represent Thor in human form, throughout his stories.

Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. “Thor.” HarperCollins. Literary Reference Center Plus. EBSCOhost. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 22 November 2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=25840483&site=lrc-plus>.


Columbia University Press. “Thor.” Columbia University Press. Literary Reference Center Plus. EBSCOhost. Tarrant County College Lib., Fort Worth, TX. Web. 22 November 2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=39036031&site=lrc-plus>. 

Norse Gods Modern Relevance

Norse gods have influenced filmmakers, musicians, writers, artists, game creators, and many others contemporary storytellers. In the epic poem, The Ballad of the White Horse, written by G.K. Chesterton, refers to various Norse gods in the literature. Two of the gods mentioned are Odin and Thor. In the story, Odin and Thor are portrayed in a negative light. The ballad portrays Catholicism as the true religion and the Norse religion as pagan. Catholicism is the main emphasis in the story so being that the Norse gods are supporting a different religion, they are looked at negatively. In the recent film, The Son of the Mask, written and directed by Lawrence Guterman, includes a character who channels the sprit of the Norse god Loki. Loki is one of the major deities in the Norse pantheon, he is crafty and malicious, and also causes a lot of mischief (pantheon.org). This is the spirit that the character Otis in the film turns into while wearing the mask. The band Manowar has been influenced strongly by the Norse god Odin. In fact their album, Gods of War, is in honor of Odin, “ the almighty father of the Norse gods”(metalstorm). His power and wisdom were unmatched among the gods and he is paid tribute with human sacrifice on the battlefield, as heard in the song, “The Sons of Odin” (metalstorm). Many other contemporary storytellers have referenced to Norse gods. These examples are only that of a few who become influenced by these intriguing figures of Norse god mythology. 

Lindemans, Micha F. “Loki.” Encyclopedia Mythica. 03 March 1997. Web. 14 November 2010. <http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/norse/articles.html>. 

Manowar. “Manowar - Details On New Album Revealed.” Metalstorm. 2000-2001. Web.  14 November 2010. <http://www.metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=4080&page=&message_id=>. 

http://factoidz.com/list-of-norse-gods-dagr-delling-eir-forseti/
Factoidz : Bite Sized Knowledge
14 November 2010

Odin

Odin, the chief divinity and father of all the gods. The almighty ruler of things good and bad, the god of war, death, poetry, wisdom, and magic. Odin is a son of Bor and Bestla (Encyclopedia Mythica).Odin can take on different guises to suit his purposes. Besides his virile warrior appearance, he is seen as an old, one-eyed man leaning on his staff and wearing a wide-brimmed hat covering half of his face. He has a long gray beard and wears a dark blue cloak. (Suite101.com) He has a special connection with the horse, the spear, and the raven. He is usually seen with two ravens named Hugin and Munin which are translated to mean thought and memory. They keep him informed of the activities taking place on earth everyday. (Suite101.com) Odin has the heart of a warrior in which he is the god of war, but war also brings upon death and which he is the god that sends souls to Hel.  His blue color of his cloak is the symbol of death in pre-Germanic culture. (Suite101.com) In his appearance as an old gray man this would obviously be a sign of death, from being at such an old age and time in life. It is the symbol of a person being close to death. In order for Odin to gain wisdom he had to sacrifice and eye to drink from the well, and there in the well his eye stayed to show everyone the price he paid to gain this gift. Odin’s main appearance is in the story “The Wanderer.” 

 Deneen, Patricia. “Odin’s Associations in Myth and Magic.” Suite101.com. 08 February 2010. Web. 07 November 2010. <http://www.suite101.com/content/odins-associations-in-myth-and-magic-a199426>.

Lindemans, Micah F. "Odin." Encyclopedia Mythica from Mythica Online. 03 March 1997. Web. 07 November 2010. 

<http://www.pantheon.org/articles/o/odin.html>.

http://www.eric-tesol.com/culture_weekdays.html

Eric Paul Monroe : Virtual Classroom

October 22, 2010

Norse Gods

 I chose the topic of Norse Gods, They are very appealing to me because of their almighty power and different abilities depending on the nature that was given to them. It is very interesting to think that stories about these gods could have possibly been real to some people back in ancient times. The fact of the gods being a myth is only on how you picture things in your mind. For all we know there could be many gods that were possibly real at one time, most people could believe in more than one god, because of all the different things that happen in the world. Norse mythology comes from the northernmost part of Europe, Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. (Myths Encyclopedia) It is primarily based off of the Viking culture in these countries. Norse mythology developed from the myth and legends of northern peoples who spoke Germanic languages. It shares many features with the mythology of pre-Christian Germanic groups. (Myths Encyclopedia) These supernatural figures, could have possibly been the basis for the Christian beliefs of a “god” that were derived from these pagan figures. It is seen that much of Christian symbols and figures were taken from the former pagan religion as much as it could try to be denied. Norse gods are interesting in many different ways and I am ready to explore some of their backgrounds. 

Advameg Inc. “Norse Mythology.” Myths Encyclopedia: Myths and Legends of the World. 2010. Web. 29 October 2010. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ni-Pa/Norse-Mythology.html>.

<http://fineartamerica.com/featured/odin-allfather-dan-mills.html>
By: Dan Mills
October 29, 2010