Norse Mythology A to Z (Mythology A to Z Series)

145 Pages·2003·4.01 MB·English

by  Kathleen N. Daly

Norse MYTHOLOGY
A TO Z

Norse MYTHOLOGY
A TO Z
Revised Edition
Kathleen N. Daly
Revised by Marian Rengel
Norse Mythology A to Z, Revised Edition
Copyright © 2004, 1991 by Kathleen N. Daly
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Daly, Kathleen N.
Norse mythology A to Z / Kathleen N. Daly ; revised by
Marian Rengel. — Rev. ed.
p. cm. — (Mythology A to Z)
Summary: Alphabetically listed entries identify and explain the characters, events, and
important places of Norse mythology.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-5156-9 (alk. paper)
1. Mythology, Norse—Dictionaries, Juvenile. [1. Mythology, Norse—Dictionaries.]
I. Rengel, Marian. II. Title.
BL850.D34 2003
293′.13—dc21
2003045758
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Text design by Joan Toro
Cover design by Cathy Rincon
Map by Jeremy Eagle
Printed in the United States of America
VB Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
To my own favorite Norse people and their families
(in alphabetical order):
Helen, Jorgen, Kirsten and Ole
— K.N.D.

C
ONTENTS
Introduction ix
Map of Scandinavia xiv
A-to-Z Entries 1
Selected Bibliography 113
Index 115

I
NTRODUCTION
WHAT IS A MYTH?
Myths are as ancient as humankind and have their origin in the efforts of
primitive people to explain the mysteries of the world around them: thun-
der and lightning; floods and fire; rain and drought; earthquakes and vol-
canic eruptions; night and day; the Sun, Moon, and stars; the seasons; the
existence of plants and animals, man and woman; and birth and death.
Myths fulfill a need in people to believe in some higher being or beings
who have power over the daily lives and fate of humankind. Many of the
world’s myth systems include a sky god or father of all and an earth
mother. In many cases, including the myths of the Norse, people believed
in a set of attendant gods and goddesses, as well as villains such as demons,
dragons, and other monsters; giants and dwarfs; and supernatural forces.
Myths help people structure their lives. The myths reflect their
codes of behavior, their cultural customs and rites, and their ways of wor-
ship. Myths are basically stories of the struggle between good and evil,
between order and chaos. They foretell of the eventual breakdown of
order, but also of regeneration.
Ancient myths about the creation of the universe and the living
creatures on Earth were passed orally from one generation to another,
from family to family, and from one community to another. The stories
changed according to the whim of the narrator, for it was thousands of
years before the stories were written down. As people moved from one
part of a continent to another, they adapted their stories to the changing
landscape or climate. Stories that may have originated in India, the
Middle East, or the south of Europe changed dramatically when people
told them in the harsh, craggy, icy lands of the north, where summers
were short and winters long and cruel.
Finally, myths are part of a moral and ethical, often spiritual, belief
system. Many historians of myths and scholars of human social develop-
ment see myths as part of a religious belief system and an attempt to
explain human existence.
WHO WERE THE NORSE?
The Norse (people of the north) are known today as the Scandina-
vians—the people of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the
Faeroe Islands.
ix