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The Norse gods were the stuff of legend and the Vikings had an different god for every important occasion.
The Viking society of the seventh to eleventh centuries, when Viking raids and ocean explorations were at their height, was a largely pagan society with ancient gods who, believed the Vikings, needed to be appeased by crop, animal and even human sacrifices. Odin, The Supreme Viking GodOdin was the supreme god, the god of kings who presided over both heaven and earth. Vikings saw him as a war-like hero who rode the skies in his fiery chariot. It was Odin to whom a Viking warrior would offer a sacrifice before going into battle and it was he, they believed, who they would join in Valhalla, where all Viking warriors went on dying a hero’s death. The Viking God ThorThor was, the Vikings believed, the son of Odin and a god of thunder who guarded the earth against dangerous giants. Thor’s symbol was the hammer, a design which was replicated numerous times on Viking jewellery and Thor’s name still appears in place names such as Thornbury and Thorness. Viking Myth and LegendThe Viking sibling deities Freyja and Frey were beings of prosperity and fertility and were petitioned by humans to bring a good harvest, a happy marriage and successful childbirth. Freyja was believed to be able to turn herself into a bird using a magic falcon skin, whilst Frey stayed on earth tending to crops and controlling the weather. Tales of myth and legend were an everyday part of life in Viking society, with tales told around the fireside on a regular basis. Each god had its own personality and people would feel an affinity with particular gods, depending on their own character and situation in life. For example, a sailor or fisherman might pray to Njord, god of the sea, or a warrior to the god Tyr, the bravest of all Viking gods and the only one, it was believed, who dared to feed Fenrir the wolf and who had lost a hand doing so. According to a legend about the final days of the gods, there was an almighty battle in which almost all of the gods perished. Just a few were resurrected, including sons of Odin and Thor and a human man and woman who could then re-populate the earth. As Christianity gained strength in mainland Europe, the old Viking myths and legends were gradually replaced by tales from the Christian traditions. But for centuries, these gods inspired generations of Viking explorers, farmers, wives and warriors. Sources Millidge, Judith Viking Gods (Ancient Cultures) [Book Sales, 1999] Chartrant R, Durham K, Harrison M, Heath I The Vikings, Voyagers of Discovery and Plunder [Osprey Publishing, 2006]
The copyright of the article Medieval Viking Gods in Early Middle Ages is owned by Rachel Bellerby. Permission to republish Medieval Viking Gods in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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