Heimdall

Heimdall was the dutiful sentry who kept watch over Asgard to warn of any approaching giants or other beings who might want to hard the gods. Heimdall actually kept “watch” by listening to everything that was happening in the entire cosmos. It was said that he could “hear grass growing on the ground and wool growing on sheep”. There seems to be a lost myth about Heimdall sacrificing one of his ears in order to gain exceptional hearing just like Odin who sacrificed one of his own eyes for his own exceptional perceptual ability. Heimdall required less sleep than a bird and tirelessly defended the gods and their heavenly fortress. He sat atop the rainbow bridge called Bifrost which was the entry point to Asgard. In his hand he held Gjallarhorn or the “Resounding Horn” in which he would blow if there was danger. Heimdall is said to have fathered the ancestors of the three main social classes in Norse society: aristocrats, freemen, and slaves. Heimdall was also credited, sometimes, of fathering all of humankind. The animal related to Heimdall was the ram for unknown reasons. The birth of Heimdall was rather confusing for his father was Odin, but he had nine mothers, a feat which is possible for gods, but not humans. Heimdall was not a major god and therefore there is not very much other information related to him.

Balder

Balder was said to be the fairest of all of the Norse deities, both in appearance and in character. For these reasons, he actually radiated light. He was so eloquent and gracious that when he pronounced a judgment on any matter, no one could find a way to criticize it. The main surviving myth of Balder was his murder by Loki and the blind god Hod, most famously told by Snorri Sturluson. When Loki, heard that the only thing that could harm Balder was a mistletoe, he made a magical spear from this plant. Loki went to the place where the gods were indulging in their favorite pastime of hurling random objects at Baldr, which would all bounce off without harming him. Loki gave the spear to Baldr’s brother, the blind god Hod, who then inadvertently killed his brother with it. For this act alone, Odin and the giantess Rindr gave birth to Vali who grew to adulthood within a day and killed Hod.

Balder of course was an accomplished and formidable warrior like any Norse god. The most straightforward translation of Balder was that to came from the adjective “bold” attributed for his eagerness of battle. Other than the story of his death, not much else survived to today about the god Balder.

Loki

Many people who nothing absolutely nothing about Norse mythology have at least hear of the trickster god Loki. Loki was known for his scheming and as a coward who only cared about self-preservation and shallow pleasures. Loki was, like most other Norse deities, a contradiction for he was known to be playful as well as helpful, and benevolent as well as malevolent. Loki helped both the giants and the gods depending on which course of action was most adventurous and pleasurable to him. Loki found stealing objects of power from the gods enjoyable. But at the end of the day, Loki always fixed whatever problems he caused and his actions would eventually benefit the gods greatly. Loki is most associated with the gods Thor and Odin though both of these relationships were tumultuous. Thor and Loki had a very close relationship and were known to fight and protect each other like siblings. Loki fathered many different kinds of children.

It was said that Loki ate the heart of a woman known for many deeds of great malice and this caused he himself to become impregnated and give birth to all the female monsters in the world. Loki was labeled as the most shameful being possible because the idea of a man giving birth was brought about the highest level of dishonor. A man giving birth to children was worse than a man practicing magic.

Loki was ultimately responsible for the death of the beloved god named Balder (discussed in the next blog post). For this murder, and countless other crimes the gods decided to punish Loki. The gods took Loki into a cave and bound him with a chain made from the entrails of his son, Nari, who was killed in front of him. To make matters worse, a poisonous snake was placed above his head to drip venom onto Loki’s forehead. In the end, it was Loki who betrayed the gods that lead to the downfall of the cosmos.

Frey

Frey is the brother of Freya and as such his name is also a title rather than an actual name. Frey simply meant “Lord”, while it is said that his more proper name is Yngvi. Like all Norse gods, Frey had many different names and his last name commonly used was Frodi which translates to “Fruitful”. Frey was worshipped primarily as a god who brought fertility and vitality to the land and to the people. Peoples’ who’s primary occupation was either a farmer or a herder usually regarded Frey as their most important deity. His followers were known to sacrifice animals, such as boar, to him during a couple’s wedding to encourage the fertility and happiness of the party involved.

In order for agriculture to be carried out successfully, war and all conflicts must be absent. For this reason, Frey was said to be the bringer of peace. But, like all Norse gods, Frey was a formidable warrior due to the warlike nature of the Norsemen. Chariots was essential to his worship. These chariots would carry a statue of Frey and would be carted from village to village blessing the land and inhabitants of these villages. Chariots were also essential to war and Frey was said to have been one of the best. His chariots were pulled by boar, hence they were commonly used as sacrifices to the god.

Frey was also associated with transportation by ship. For this reason, he was credited with stocking the seas full of fish and other useful resources. Frey’s ship was was so big that it could carry all of the gods and their weapons at once. Of course then the ship can be folded up and placed in a small bag when it is not in use. His ship always had a favorable wind!