Norse Mythology: Fenrir

Norse Mythology: Fenrir

Fenrir, also called Fenrisúlfr, monstrous wolf of Norse folklore. He was the child of the demoniac god Loki and a giantess,Angerboda. Fearing Fenrir’s strength and understanding that just wicked could be…

Norse Folklore: Loki

Norse Folklore: Loki

Loki, inNorse mythology, a shrewd trickster who had the capability to change his shape and sex. Although his dad was the giant Fárbauti, he was included amongst the Aesir(a tribe of…

Viking History: Temple at Uppsala

Viking History: Temple at Uppsala

. Temple at Uppsala History Channel The Temple at Uppsala was a religious center dedicated to the Norse gods Thor, Odin, and Freyr located in what is now Gamla Uppsala in Sweden. It is described by the 11th-century historian Adam of Bremen as the most significant pagan website in the region and was ruined by the Christian King Inge the Senior c. 1080.

The website is also referenced in the Ynglinga Saga of the Heimskringla written by the Icelandic mythographer Snorri Sturluson (l. 1179-1241) and the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus (l. c. 1160 – c. 1220). In every case, it is connected with the gods of the Norse religious beliefs and in Adam and Saxo with human sacrifice. At the time Adam was composing (c. 1070), Christianity was still competing with the old Norse beliefs for supremacy in the area, while in Saxo’s time, it was more developed. Both wrote from a Christian viewpoint therefore cast the temple and its rites in an unfavorable light. Sturluson was recounting ancient misconceptions for his age therefore humanized the gods, making divine beings like Odin into terrific kings of the past rather than gods and so prevented having to demonize the website for a Christian audience.Read the rest of

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The website is also referenced in the Ynglinga Saga of the Heimskringla written by the Icelandic mythographer Snorri Sturluson(l. 1179-1241 )and the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus (l. c. 1160 -c. 1220).