JormungandrĪlso called the ‘Midgard Serpent’ or the ‘World Serpent’, Jormungandr was the brother of the wolf Fenrir, born to Angroboda and Loki. It was said that when the Mare touched living things such as people, trees, or cattle, it caused their hair (or branches) to become entangled. Some say Mares were also witches who transformed into animals like cats, dogs, frogs and oxen when their spirits left them and wandered about. Many believed that this terrifying beast embodied the souls of living people who left their bodies in the night. If you haven’t made the connection already, this is where we get the word night marefrom. The Mare was a malicious creature in Norse mythology, known to give people nightmares by sitting on their chests as they slept. It’s likely that the inspiration for the Kraken was the giant squid which can grow up massive sizes. It had a strong, fishy smell that attracted other fish to the area for it to devour. The Kraken lured in fish by releasing its excrement which was thick in consistency, into the water. Whenever it rose to the surface, the Kraken caused large whirlpools which made it easier for it to attack ships. If anyone set foot on the island, they would sink and die, becoming food for the huge monster. In some mythical Norse tales, the body of the Kraken was said to be so large that people mistook it for an island. The Kraken is a famous sea monster depicted as a gigantic squid or octopus. Fenrir serves as the basis of many later literary wolves.
#Sleipnir mythology free
Eventually, Fenrir was able to free himself of his bindings and would go on to fulfill his destiny.įenrir wasn’t viewed as an evil creature, but as an inevitable part of the natural order of life. They knew that Fenrir would kill Odin during Ragnarok, so to prevent that from happening, they had him chained with special bindings. All three of them were prophesied to help bring the end of the world, Ragnarok.įenrir was raised by the gods of Asgard. His siblings are the world serpent, Jörmungandr, and the goddess Hel. See it here.įenrir is one of the most famous wolves in history, the offspring of Angroboda, the giantess and the Norse god Loki. Fenrir Fenrir Wolf Ring by ForeverGiftsCompany.
#Sleipnir mythology plus
However, on the plus side, she would gain extreme strength and lose her tail. The Huldra is a female creature typically depicted as a beautiful woman with a crown of flowers and long, blonde hair, but she had the tail of a cow which made men afraid of her.Īlso called the ‘warden of the forest’, the Huldra seduced young men and lured them into the mountains where she would imprison them.Īccording to the myth, if a young man married the Huldra, she was fated to turn into an old, ugly woman. When elves and humans had childen, they looked just like humans but possessed impressive magical and intuitive powers. The Ljosalfar, on the other hand, were radiantly beautiful and were considered the same as the gods.Īll Norse elves were very powerful and had the ability to cause human diseases as well as cure them. The Dokkalfar elves lived under the earth and were said to be similar to dwarves but were completely black in color. While Loki’s other children were bound and banished to prevent them from wreaking havoc across the nine worlds of the Norse cosmos, Sleipnir, in contrast, became not only the steed of Odin, the king of the Aesir gods, but also one of his most recognisable and trusted companions.In Norse mythology, there are two different types of elves, the Dokkalfar (the dark elves) and the Ljosalfar (the light elves). It seems that he also had his own children, as according to a riddle described in a 13th century text, Sleipnir is an ancestor of Grani, a horse owned by the hero Sigurd, and probably given to him by Odin himself. The account also provides a list of their steed, starting with Sleipnir, the best of them. According to the Prose Edda the Aesir ride across the Bifrost bridge daily on their horses. Sleipnir was certainly not the only horse in Asgard. A legend tells that runes were engraved on the teeth of sleipnir at the request of the valkyries. Its coat is grey like a stormy sky, while its tail and mane reflect a darker grey. He is the incarnation of a great horse, very muscular. Read more about the birth of Sleipnir here! But, surprisingly, Loki was the mother, not the father. Like many of the amazing creatures of Norse mythology (such as Fenrir the wolf and the Midgard Serpent Jormangandr), Sleipnir was a son of Loki, the trickster giant that lived among the Asgardian gods.
0 kommentar(er)
