Giants, Gods and Beasts: A Guide to Norse Mythology

The Aesir, Gods of War

Sif and the Dwarves' Gifts
One day, Thor woke to find, much to his horror, that his wife had been stripped of all her lovely hair. Recognizing it as the work of Loki, the angry god caught the trickster and threatened to pummel him unless the problem was fixed. Loki rushed down to Nidavellir and flattered three dwarves, the Sons of Invaldi, into crafting gifts for the Aesir. They spun golden hair for Sif, fashioned a never-missing spear, and built a ship that could collapse into a little wooden piece. Then the gifts were taken to the Aesir. None were more delighted than Thor, for his wife now had lovely hair again. Odin received the spear, Gungnir, and the Aesir sailed the skies and the seas in the magic ship, Skidbladnir.

Brokk, another dwarf, approached Loki, betting his own head his brother Eitri couldn't craft better marvels. He rushed home and told his brother about the bet, prompting the two of them to start crafting. They forged the golden boar Gullinbursti, the armband Draupnir, which produced eight copies every nine nights, and the hammer Mjolnir. Loki tried to harass them in the form of a horsefly, but he failed. Brokk presented the gifts to the Aesir, who were ecstatic about them. Thor received the hammer Mjolnir, which he used to battle the jotnar, and Odin got the armband Draupnir, whose replicas he used to reward heroes and kings. Brokk noticed Loki and, recognizing him as a shapeshifter, revealed his treachery and had him punished for attempting to cheat. Instead of cutting his head off, the dwarf sewed the poor trickster's mouth shut. Loki couldn't speak for a long time until he tore the stitches off, leaving his mouth very sore.

Frigg and the Lombards
The queen of the Aesir was Frigg, Odin's first wife and the patron of all housewives. Sometimes the goddess gave a never-ending string from her spindle and gave it to a hardworking housewife for her to spin. Frigg lived in Fensalir, a splendid hall, with three handmaidens waiting upon her. Fulla was her secret-keeper, Gna her messenger, and Lin protected those singled out by the mistress. Frigg was also associated with Eir, the goddess of healing, and Var, the goddess of couples' vows, as well as the farming goddess Gefjun and the wise storytelling goddess Saga. Once, the former convinced a Swedish king she could plow a field in a day. Then she rushed off to Jotunheim, married a giant, had four strong sons, changed them into oxen, yoked them, and started plowing. The oxen sweated so hard, a fog bank was created, while the plow cut so deep the land was cut off from the mainland, making an island. Gefjun attached this new island to a shoal and it became Zealand, the part of Denmark that houses its capital, Copenhagen.

If women on Midgard prayed with all their heart, Frigg gave a helping hand. Once, two tribes in the south went to war and Odin couldn't choose a victor, for he was also the god of war, Ygg the Terrible. He promised victory to the first army appearing at dawn. All the women of one tribe sent their prayers up to Frigg, who instructed them to don their husbands' armor and tie their hair around their chins to give the impression of long beards. The next day, Odin saw the long-bearded "warriors" and granted them victory. They were known as the Lombards ever since.

Balder the Loving
Frigg's favorite son was Balder, the gentle and forgiving god of light, who was loved by everything and everyone, even the giants and dwarves, except for the envious Loki. He lived in the hall Breidablik, which shone so bright it lit up the darkest corner of the word, and had a magnificent ship, Ringhorni. He loved his faithful wife Nanna and his son Forseti, the god of judgment. Whenever the Aesir were troubled, they turned to Balder, who was very kind and soothing and radiated bliss. Wherever he walked, flowers bloomed in his wake, though none of them were as fair as his brow, not even the pale Balderblom, a white flower that can be found in Scandinavia today.

Tyr and the Brood of Loki
While looking into Jotunheim one day, Odin saw Loki playing with three monsters, a wolf, a serpent, and a woman who was pale and beautiful on one side and blackened and rotten on the other. They were Fenrir, Jormungand, and Hel, the children of Loki and the giantess Angerboda. Fearing they would destroy the world, Odin did his best to put them in their places. Jormungand was thrown into the sea, where he grew until he circled the whole of Midgard, with his tail in his mouth. Hel was giving a hall in desolate Niflheim called Eljudnir, which had spitting serpents woven into the walls and a soot-black rooster perched on the rafters. Those who died of old age, illness, or starvation went there, while wicked, murderous, and sinful souls were left to swirl about in the howling winds of Niflheim.

Fenrir was banished to Lyngvi, an island in the middle of the lake Amsvartnir. To keep him from escaping, the Aesir turned to the dwarves. They willingly spun the sound of a cat's footsteps, the spit of a bird, the breath of a fish, the beard of a woman, and the roots of a mountain around the sinew of a bear. The dwarves had created Gleipnir, a rope as light as a ribbon but stronger than any chain, for it was made of things that were not of this world. Luckily, Fenrir was also very vain, so the Aesir convinced him the rope was a test of his strength. He allowed Gleipnir to be wrapped around him and then struggled with all his might, but the rope held and the he was stuck there. The Aesir didn't get the last laugh, though, for Odin's son Tyr had his right hand snapped off by the wolf. To make matters worse, Fenrir sired a pair of wolves, Skoll and Hati, who forever pursued the sun and the moon.

Heimdall and the Aesir-Vanir War
Born of nine mothers, Heimdall was the handsome watchman of Asgard. He had teeth of pure gold, blue eyes could see to the world, ears that could hear grass growing, and needed less sleep than a bird. At his side was the Gjallarhorn, a trumpet-that could be heard in all nine realms. Heimdall faithfully watched over Asgard from his hall Himinbjorg. Then one day the Aesir were visited by Gullveig, a beautiful but greedy witch from the faraway world of Vanaheim, the realm of the Vanir, a clan of nature gods. She had come for gold, so the Aesir competed to bring her the most beautiful gold as possible. Even Heimdall succumbed to her beauty, offering his golden teeth. Odin, on the other hand, saw through Gullveig's ruse and had her burned at the stake three times because she changed form every time the pyre was lit.

Enraged by the witch's mistreatment, the Vanir stormed Asgard, breaking down the silver and gold fence and battling the Aesir to a standstill. Both sides decided to exchange hostages to keep peace. The Aesir sent Odin's brother Honir and Mimir the wise giant to Vanaheim. The Vanir didn't like their hostages, so they cut Mimir's head off and sent it to Odin, who revived it in Mimirbrunnur's waters. For their part, the Aesir were delighted with their their hostages, the sailor god Njord and his children, Frey and Freya. Njord, was given Noatun, a boathouse on the celestial seaside. Frey was given the golden boar Gullinbursti, the ship Skidbladnir, and a hall in Alfheim, where the light-elves waited upon him. And Freya was given an enormous hall, Sessrumnir, in Folkvanger, an alternate afterlife for heroes.

Bragi and the Mead of Poetry
To seal the pact, the Aesir and the Vanir chewed and spar berries into a vat, creating the all-knowing Kvasir, who could answer any question and every time he was asked a new one, his knowledge increased. Sadly, two murderous dwarves, Fjalar and Gjalar, killed Kvasir, drained his blood, and brewed it into the Mead of Poetry, which turned the drinker into a great poet and storyteller. The two dwarves became so giddy, they killed an elderly giant couple. Their son, Suttung, avenged them by confiscating the Mead of Poetry, poured it into three vats, and had his beautiful daughter Gunnlod watch over it. Odin, in the form of a handsome man, stayed with the giantess for three days, winning over her lonely heart with stories. After lulling Gunnlod to sleep, he drank all the Mead of Poetry, changed into an eagle, and flew off, with Suttung pursuing him. Luckily, Heimdall noticed Odin coming and called for the Aesir to bring out the largest cauldron, which Odin spat the mead into. Suttung left empty-handed and the gods kept the Mead of Poetry, occasionally sharing it with worthy storytellers in Midgard. Feeling he had betrayed Gunnlod, Odin took her son Bragi to Asgard and gave him a taste of his grandfather's mead. And so Bragi became the god of bards and poets alike and married Idun, the goddess of youth, who kept a tree that bore golden apples that rejuvenated the gods.

Idun and the Apples of Youth
Odin and Loki were taking a stroll in Midgard and were feeling hungry, so they butchered a nearby ox and started cooking it over a fire. Thjazi, a storm giant in eagle form, fanned on the fire with his wings and said he would only stop if he got his share of the meat. The meat finished cooking and the eagle snatched it all up along with Loki, whom he threatened to drop into a spiky ravine unless Idun and her apples were brought to him. Loki told her he saw an orchard of apple trees just like her own and took her into the forest with an armful of apples for compassion. Then the eagle Thjazi swooped down, snatched up the goddess, and spirited her away to his hall in Thrymheim. Later, while the giant was out fishing, Loki rescued Idun in the form of a falcon, turning her into a walnut and picking it up in his beak. Then he flew back to Asgard with Thjazi in pursuit, for he saw the trickster flying away. However, the eagle fell to his death when he was blinded by a smoky fire the gods built to stop him. Thus Idun returned and gave her apples to all the gods, including Loki, and they all regained their youth, becoming as fair and spritely as before.