Author: RemiC. (---.wanadoo.fr)
Date: 03-03-2003 21:53
. . . when you have a professor to help you through the Eddas, Volsungs, et al. Man, I wish I could find a good book on Norse Mythology that was less dense scholar analysis and more fun. Seems to be no shortage of those for Greek Myth. Anyone have any recommendations?
And I for one would love to see the pages of comparisons/contrasts talked about in this article.
Just to comment on a few myth points:
"The Aesir have a very alien relationahip with Loki. I think it is difficult to understand why they put up with him as often as they did."
It's not that alien. No, he's not an Aesir, nor a Vanir (he might be half a Vanir, IIRC), but he's half giant. As you know, Aesir and giants intermingled quite a bit, and this one happened to be Odin's blood brother. Also, they kept him around because for all the trouble he caused, he was enormously helpful, too. Yes, he birthed the Midgard Serpent and Fenrir, but he also birthed Sleipnir and Hel (yes, she's a good thing. Foul as she may look and act, she keeps the dead where they belong, which is quite useful to the world). He also tricked a giant into breaking his promise (I forget the guy's name, but had he finished some enormous project on time, he got Freyja's hand in marriage. Loki turned into a philly and lured off the giant's workhorse). Furthermore, while he managed to get all of Thor's wife's hair chopped off (her name was Ran, right?), to make up for that, he managed to trick the dwarfs into making some of the greatest treasures the Aesir had. Of course you can tell my recollection's spotty, here, and the details might be off some, but his utility is the reason they kept him around. They only got rid of him once he had Baldur killed and prevented him from escaping Niflheim. Everyone (everyone that mattered, anyway) loved Baldur so much that they held that crime inexcusable.
"However, Vikings called upon their gods all the time for aid and considered the Aesir, while similar to men in the demeanor, to at least be reliable."
Except, especially later on in Norse history, the Norse considered Odin too reliable. The belief was that the greatest warriors would die on the battlefield and be taken away to Valhalla. Furthermore, he decided when you died (which was when you proved how great you were), so warriors would say a little te deum but reserve most of their religious fervor for Thor in a deliberate attempt to stay off Odin's radar.
Still, warriors did want to end up in Valhalla . . . which meant dying on the battlefield. To get around that bind, eventually old warriors were treated to a deathbed ceremony. I don't know the specifics behind it (I suspect it incorporated getting pierced with a spear), but it let the worthy pass to Valhalla.
Well, that's enough armchair commentary for now.
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