12 Legends About Norse Gods (Including The Robbery of Thor’s Hammer)

Norse mythology is one of the richest in the world in terms of legends, characters and stories of adventures. However, many of these stories have been lost over time, despite various attempts to rescue them whenever possible. Unlike other cultures, such as Greek or Roman, the Norse pantheon of gods does not count on total immortality: according to legends, there is a Day of Judgment for the deities, and they have some inherently human weaknesses. And that’s exactly what makes Norse Mythology so fascinating.

we, from awesome.club, we delved into the universe of Norse legends and selected some of the best ones to share with you, the reader. Fans of Thor or the ever-cheating Loki will love it!

Like all cultures, Norse also has its version of the origin of the world. Legend tells that, in the beginning, there was a kingdom of ice called Niflheim, and another of fire called Muspelheim. Between one and the other, there was a void, without form or content, called Ginnungagap. In Niflheim there was a cauldron that bubbled and poured its contents into Ginnungagap; each time it came into contact with the abysmal void, it turned to ice, which in turn was touched by the flames of Muspelheim, which turned the void into a pleasant place. Still according to legend, it was in this place where life arose, in the form of the giant Imer, father of all giants.

But Imer was not the only one. Also from the union of ice and fire, a giant cow called Audhumla was born, which provided milk for Imer to drink. The animal licked the ice, thus creating the first god: Búri, the ancestor of all gods.

During Imer’s sleep, more giants appear. Búri takes a giantess to wife, having a son named Borr with her. This one married another giant’s daughter, named Bestla, with whom he had three children: Odin, Vili and Vé, the first aesir.

As there was nothing in this world, neither land, sand, seas nor sky, the brothers Odin, Vili and Vé made the decision to create something. But for that, it was necessary to slay the giant Imer, for all things had sprung from him. And that’s what they did. From the giant’s body, seas, mountains and cliffs emerged.

With the giant’s eyelashes, the three brothers created a wall, which encircled the city of Midgard. It was a beautiful place, but also empty. Until one day, two trunks appeared on the shore: one of ash and the other of elm. The gods placed them both upright, and Odin breathed life into them; Vili gave them will; while Vé carved them in human form. From the ash tree, Ask, the first man, was born. From the elm tree, the first woman, Embla, was born.

In Midgard, Embla and Ask made their home, safe from giants and monsters.

Sleipnir was a gray horse with eight legs that belonged to Odin. He was the best among animals, symbol of the winds, with runes engraved on his teeth, and the only one capable of reaching the realm of death. The circumstances of Sleipnir’s birth are very curious, as he is the son of the god Loki (when he turned into a mare) and the horse Svadilfari.

Legend has it that when the fortification for the gods was being built in Valhalla, a builder offered to do the work in exchange for marrying the goddess Freia, who symbolized the Sun and Moon. The gods accepted the proposal, but imposed several conditions: the builder would have to do his work within three seasons, without relying on anyone else’s help. He accepted the challenge, and only asked to have the horse Svadilfari at his disposal.

To the gods’ surprise, the horse had immense strength, and was able to haul rocks more efficiently than two men at the same time. So, three days before the end of summer, the builder was already about to finish his mission.

Stunned, the gods gathered and came to the conclusion that there was a possible suspect for that ruse: Loki, the god of fraud. Then Loki was sentenced to death if he couldn’t solve the problem, finding a way to prevent the builder from getting his end of the bargain.

That same night, as he always did, the builder took Svadilfari to fetch more stones. Suddenly, a mare appeared (the transformed Loki himself), which soon attracted the horse’s attention. Svadilfari ran towards her, getting lost in the woods.

As a result, the builder ended up not being able to meet the deadline. Furious, he reveals that he is not actually human, but a giant named Hrimthurs, prompting the gods to break the deal and summon Thor to face him. A short time later, Loki returned with an eight-legged foal, Sleipnir, given to Odin as a gift.

Yggdrasil is a leafy ash tree known as “the tree of life”. Through its roots, it connects the nine worlds, which are:

Helheim, the world where those who die outside the battlefield go;

Nidavellir, where dwarves and dark elves make their inventions;

Niflheim, the world of darkness;

Jötunheim, where the frost and mountain giants live;

midgard, the world of women and men;

Vanaheim, realm of the Vanir (gods of nature and fertility);

alfheim, where the light elves live;

Asgard, where is the realm of the gods (aesir);

Muspelheim, where fire dwells.

Mimir is a giant, Odin’s uncle on his mother’s side. He cares for the sources of wisdom located at the roots of the Yggdrasil tree. Odin went on a journey from Asgard to that place to ask his uncle for permission to drink water from the springs, but he did not receive permission, as Mimir was the only one who could do that. However, Odin insisted, offering anything in return. Mimir then asked him to hand over an eye, and Odin accepted. Thus, Mímir’s nephew was left physically handicapped, but infinitely wise.

In Norse legends, Thor’s hammer is called Mjölnir. It is a powerful weapon with magical characteristics. According to the story, one fine day Loki cut the hair of Sif, wife of Thor. The latter, furious, challenged Loki and made him swear he would bring his locks back.

Loki met with the dwarves, sons of Ivaldi, and urged them to make three great gifts to the gods, stressing that they could not create treasures as powerful as the dwarven brothers Brokk and Eitri. Ivaldi’s sons fell for the trap and soon began crafting three perfect gifts: a spear for Odin, golden hair for Sif, and a silk scarf that, when unfolded, transformed into the Skidbladnir, a vessel for the god Frey.

Cunning, Loki sought out the brothers Brokk and Eitri and made them the same offer, but he didn’t count on the fact that they both wanted his head in return. So they started to work hard, and Loki, totally surprised by the talent and characteristics of the gifts they were developing, assumed the form of a mosquito, trying to get in the way of their work. In fact, he almost succeeded, pricking Brokk on the eyelid, causing him to bleed as he completed the last of the jobs.

When Ivaldi’s children presented their gifts to the gods, there was no doubt that they were extraordinary objects, and that’s how Sif returned to display a beautiful hair. However, the last object presented by the brothers Brokk and Eitri, the one that Brokk almost couldn’t finish due to his swollen eyelid, was the hammer for Thor. It was nothing less than a “lightning producer” that left the god totally fascinated, despite having a very short handle (as Brokk was unable to continue forging it). Thus, the brothers Brokk and Eitri were sacred victors.

Finally, Loki managed to escape, with his head intact, from the bet made with the brothers, thanks to his usual tricks.

In Norse legends, Frodo was a mighty king, a descendant of Odin, who had won peace in the northern lands in what is now Denmark. When visiting Sweden, he bought two giants named Fenia and Menia, so that they could help with his chores: moving two colossal millstones. But there was one catch: if they were removed, the stones had the ability to grant wishes. So Fenia and Menia tied themselves to the mill following the instructions of Frodo, who asked them to grind gold, peace and happiness. However, Frodo only allowed the giantesses to rest for the duration of a song.

Angered, the giants took revenge, and began to sing the “Song of Grotti”, thus assembling a crowd led by a sea king named Mysing. During the night, Mysing attacked Frodo, fleeing with all the treasure.

Gold was called “Frodo’s flour”, for if the giantesses had carried out their mission, they would have ground gold as if it were flour.

In Norse mythology, golden apples give the gods the gift of immortality. Whenever they felt tired, old, and saw that their hair began to lose color, they turned to the goddess Iduna, who kept such apples in a wooden chest, and ate the fruit until they regained youth and vitality.

One day, as Thor, Loki, and Hœnir were walking through the countryside, they saw a gigantic eagle resting in the top of a tree. The gods were preparing a succulent roast beef, just when very strong winds began to blow, disrupting the plans. And then, at Loki’s request, the eagle came to their aid, flapping its huge wings with force, causing the fire to reignite. With that, the gods could eat until they were satisfied. The eagle wanted to participate in the feast, but Loki tried to stop it, starting a fight between them. The bird was winning when Loki begged for mercy. The animal gave up its attack, but with one condition: it wanted the apples of the goddess Iduna.

Loki accepted, not even knowing what the consequences would be. Deceiving the goddess, he caused her to fall into the eagle’s claws. When the gods realized what had happened, they were furious with Loki, as they were starting to become elders. So they forced Loki to rescue Iduna and with her, her apple vault. Loki needed to become an eagle to retrieve the goddess and deceive the enemy, who was actually a giant in disguise.

Known as the huge serpent that prowls Midgard until the day of Ragnarok. It is a monster whose father is the god Loki, and whose mother is the giantess Angerboda. When the gods realized the horrible things that the monster would do through divination, they decided to eliminate him. Odin threw the serpent into the sea that surrounded Midgard, so that it would stay there until…