

Others were demons or genies, or living creatures chosen by ordinary Egyptians as their personal gods. Some were major deities with great powers and religious significance. The ancient Egyptians visualized their deities in many ways and these deities took a variety of forms. Favored gods and their symbols often changed from year to year and region to region.

Grasping the pantheon of Egyptian gods and their symbols is a difficult task. There were gods with specific duties, gods associated with specific tasks, gods worshiped in certain areas, gods enshrined in homes and gods associated with natural manifestations such as water and air. There were supreme gods, subsidiary ones. Source: The Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse anonymous poems.Sobek at Kom Ombo The Egyptians had over 2,000 gods. She is goddess of love and fate, described as having the power of prophecy yet she does not reveal what she knows. “Ull” means “the honorable,” and he was the best of all archers and skiers.įrigg (Old Norse: Frigga) is Odin’s wife, extremely beautiful, the foremost among the goddesses and the queen of Asgard. Ull (Old Norse: Ullr) is the son of Sif, Thor’s wife. Frey is associated with virility and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather, and is often depicted with a large phallus. Njord (Old Norse: Njǫrðr) is the god of the sea and seafarers.įroy (Old Norse: Freyr) is the god of fertility. Ty, or Tyr, is the god of war – the one who decides who win battles. Heimdall is the guardian of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge between Asgard and Midgard, which is the main road into the heavenly kingdom. Vale (Old Norse: Váli) is the son of Odin who was bred as avenger of Balder by raping the giantess Rind.īrage is very wise and eloquent, and the god of skaldic poetry and prose. Vidar (Old Norse: Víðarr) is son of Odin and the giantess Grid, and only beaten by Thor when it comes to strength. He is the god of thunder, master of the weather and the strongest warrior.īalder (Old Norse: Balder, Baldr, Baldur) is associated with light, beauty, love and happiness. Thor (Old Norse: Þórr, Thórr) is Odin’s youngest son and the second most powerful god. Odin is the Allfather of the Norse gods and the ruler of Asgard. Odin (Old Norse: Óðinn) is the most powerful and wisest god. Here is a description of the twelve most important gods, and the main goddess Frigg: There are many interesting stories about Thor, while Odin mostly is depicted as a wanderer in search of wisdom and knowledge. Odin is king of the Aesirs, but Thor is probably the one most worshiped. The female gods in Norse mythology are called Asynja. Sometimes, Age and Loki is also considered Aesirs. There are twelve main gods in Norse mythology: Odin, Thor, Balder, Vidar, Vale, Brage, Heimdall, Ty, Njord, Froy, Ull and Forsete, – where Njord and Froy are not Aesirs, but Vanirs living in Asgard. And furthest out, in all directions, is the vast world ocean where the Midgard Serpent lives. There – in Utgard and Jotunheim – giants and trolls live. Strong defenses were built around Midgard as protection against the wild and unknown outside where dark and sinister forces are raging. To get there you have to ride over the rainbow Bifrost. And in the middle of Midgard – so that the humans should not feel lonely and abandoned – the gods built a place for themselves: Asgard.Īsgard is a huge castle surrounded by thick walls. They named the human’s home Midgard – because it is placed in the middle of the world. The Aesirs, one main group of Norse gods, cleared places to stay, both for themselves and the humans. In the beginning there were only native forests and wasteland. The Twelve Most Important Gods in Norse Mythologyīrage is very wise and eloquent, and the god of skaldic poetry and prose. Home › Culture › The Twelve Most Important Gods in Norse Mythology
