Illustrations: Jean Magalhães ()
Odin
Due to his love of battle, he is the main god of Norse mythology – born in northern European countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Iceland. Odin is the oldest and wisest of the gods. With only one good eye, he lives with two crows on his shoulders: Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory), which symbolize the quest for knowledge.
Loki
“Father of Lies” is part giant, part god. He is sometimes shown as Thor’s brother, but in traditional mythology he is Odin’s adoptive brother. He is evil in character, but brings balance to the pantheon of gods.
frigg
Wife of Odin, the goddess of fertility wears a cloak that looks like clouds – and that changes color according to her mood. She represents femininity and was invoked by women in childbirth.
hell
Daughter of Loki and a frost giant, she is the goddess of Niflheim, the land of the dead. Described as a figure with ever somber features, she is alive from the waist up and dead from the waist down.
Thor
The god of thunder, is the son of Odin and another goddess (Fjorgyn). Very strong, he has a magic hammer as a weapon. He is the great warrior of the gods against their main enemies, the frost giants.
Bragi
Son of Odin and a giantess, he is the spokesman and messenger of the gods. Good at “speech”, he has his name mentioned in the toasts that precede the narration of great stories.
Tyr
Son of Odin and Frigg, he has strength and courage, and leads the gods in battle. He sacrificed one of his hands to the wolf Fenrir (son of Loki) to keep peace between the gods after yet another fight between them.
njord
Protector of browsers, he chose to live in Asgard after making a peace with Odin. Those who adore him sail peacefully and have good luck with the birth of children.
freyr
He is the god of abundance. He decides when the rain falls, gives plenty to the fruits of the earth, and is invoked in peace and prosperity. He has a boat capable of carrying all the gods.
Skadi
Skadi went to Asgard to avenge the death of her father, a giant. Fearing a confrontation, the gods set her father’s eyes like stars in the sky and offered her Njord as her husband.
bucket
Another son of Odin and Frigg, he is the most beautiful, merciful and just of the gods. He spreads peace wherever he goes. As the most beloved and popular god, he became one of Loki’s favorite targets of intrigue.
freya
Daughter of Njord and Skadi and sister of Freyr. Goddess of love and lust, she is a sensual woman. Lover of magic and sorcery, she can take the form of a bird to travel to the underworld and bring forth prophecies.
forseti
The god of justice is the son of Balder and defines disputes between gods and humans. In mythology, he never failed in a deal. Speaking for hours on end, he always convinces the gods by weariness.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Death of a giant is at the beginning of the Universe
Norse legends do not have a single version. There are variations in the gods and descriptions of how the world was created. One of the myths says that Odin and his brothers killed a giant, Ymir, formed of fire and ice. His body then became the raw material for the creation of the world.
THE NORDIC WORLD
Yggdrasil, the tree of life, has three levels
Asgard
It’s where almost all the gods live. Peace there only reigned after a lot of dick between them. Asgard is full of great halls, like the grandiose Valhalla, hall of Odin.
Midgard
Humans live here. Midgard is surrounded by a vast ocean and is connected to Asgard by the Bifrost, a rainbow-shaped bridge watched over by the god Heimdall.
Jotunheim
Region within Midgard inhabited by giants, a race that lives in conflict with the gods. There is a fortress called Utgard, the scene of several adventures of Thor.
Niflheim
The third and final level is the domain of the dead. It is a cold place, where the night is endless and where men of bad character are sent after death.