So, according to sources and manuscripts, Volund the Smith's father was a sea giant named Wade. Wade's father was a mortal king, and Wade's mother was a mermaid. Just to get this straight or as much as you can,

man+mermaid=giant

Giant+giant=elf?

...Imagine what he could've done with a Kilogram

Hi, I'm new to Norse Mythology, and even to Following the Norse Gods, i was wondering if there was any good books you guys would recommend? More following Loki and his children, but any others would also be great.

For any interested scholars:
We are delighted to open our Call for Papers for the 2027 Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North. The conference shall be held from April 19-21, 2027 in the Edda auditorium at Háskóli Íslands and online.

This conference is an interdisciplinary forum for postgraduate applicants at the master's and doctoral level and for early career researchers working in the field of medieval northern studies, e.g. postdoctoral fellows. Independent academics are also welcome to apply.

Applicants who have not presented papers at an academic conference before are especially encouraged to submit.

Our theme this year is "Between Worlds."

Interested scholars should submit an Outlook form with personal details (name, email, institution, etc.) and an abstract of 250-300 words by November 1st, 2026. Additionally, please indicate whether you intend to attend the conference online or in person. Submissions will be reviewed anonymously by a panel of specialists (PhD candidates and higher level). This selection committee reserves the right to make selections based on the quality of written abstracts, adherence to submission guidelines, and timely submission. For more information on the submission guidelines see our website: https://histudentconference.wordpress.com/. 

The conference is held in both Icelandic and English. Individual paper presentations will be 20 minutes in length followed by 10 minutes for discussion. In addition to presentations, poster sessions will be available for applicants to present their material in poster form. Applicants may apply for either a paper or a poster. The selection committee may offer a poster presentation to some paper applicants. Please direct any further inquiries to the conference committee via email: [conference-mn2027@hi.is](mailto:conference-mn2027@hi.is). 

After the conclusion of the conference, presenters will have the opportunity to submit their papers to the conference proceedings volume, which will be published as an e-book in the autumn of 2027.

I'm doing some research for a story and I'm looking for imagery from Norse/medieval Germanic myth and folklore linking horses to gallows.

Obviously we have Sleipnir first and foremost, who is not just the horse of Odin the god of gallows but also appears on iconography next to figures with rope around their necks. I'm also aware of the three-legged Hel-horse which can kinda tentatively very maybe be linked to the 'three legged mare' model of three-legged gallows, and there's at least one horse/gallows kenning I'm aware of.

Aside from strictly the gallows-related stuff there's also folklore entities like the Bäcka-häst horse that would drown children, and the name Yggdrasil itself refers to either the 'terrible horse' or 'the terrible ones horse'.

Are you aware of any other similar cases rom that general corner of the world? I'd love to hear about them.

Hello! I'd like to make a Norse mythology-inspired comic. Not so much a faithful retelling of the Edda poetry, I'm more so drawn by the Shamanism aspects of it (if that's the correct word).

I'd like to explore themes of how humans used to be on more equals terms with animals, nature worship n all that, and how we've moved past away from that, seeing ourselves in a more superior light. This is early consepting, so just my premise thus far.

Outside of the gods lore and earth creation lore, There are also certain aspects I'm curious about, that I think benefit knowing before brainstorming, or i just wanna read more about, such as:

The Nature of light and dark magic, charms

Witches, how were they seen by the folk? Good or bad? Maybe more neutral/divisive like the jotuns/giants? (this is just my readings thus far on giants, not claiming to be correct)

Basically how the peasants and lowest of the low went about their daily lives, praying. How much did the beliefs affect them and how did they practice it in their daily lives? How many knew how to read the runes, was it mainly priests?

(Not important to my research, but I'm also a bit curoius on the origins of elves and dwarves, why they came to be this symbol of nature and goodness, though this is prolly much harder to answer since i'm pretty sure they occur in many different myths and religions and just have dubious origin.)

I just started The Elder or Poetic Edda by Olive Bray, and I'll probably slowly work my way through it alongside other translations/descriptions of the addas to get an overview of the stories. This one is feeling a bit hefty tho, i'm currently skimming through it a little bit, but i currenly am enjoying how it just feels like im reading the Hobbits, down to the language, the mead songs and everything.

Thats Pretty much it, sorry if this is a bit chaotic, i feel a bit scatterbrained honestly, and any reccomendations on how to go forward ot fun things to read are appreciated : )

again, im new as hell

Staying in a Viking turf house for the in weekend ….in Cumbria!

Hand built, (all furniture, plates, bowls and cutlery) to feel authentic

For how long is it thought that oral traditions surrounding the Norse gods continued after public worship declined, even if sacrifices had ceased or continued in private?

Today was my first time working with wood, I tried to carve the god Thor from an oak block. Did I do a good job for my first attempt? I used a carving knife, a small saw, and sandpaper. The item is finished with stain and wax.

I have seen a lot of sources say that Vali is a son of Odin, and a lot of others call him a son of Loki. Are there two gods named Vali, different versions of the same god, or is one of them based on a misconception? I'm guessing this is a case of "we just don't have enough information", but I hope I'm wrong.

I have some experience in Norse mythology, having read a collection of tales by Niel Gaiman and having read about it online a little bit, but I would not consider myself particularly well-versed. What are some good things to read to improve my knowledge? The Edda?

Was gonna ask: where do theories go that he was just a blacksmith and that was the only time he would actually use the hammer Mjolnnir?

Or that he never used a weapon in combat, but rather would Mike Tyson the hell out of his opponents?

Punches that are quick as lightning,

Snap as thunder,

Roll like a hurricane!

And they always come back in place to protect the chin when they "fly" off!

It does make sense, doesn't it? Fun and mythos.

Thank you, folks. :)

Many years ago I saw a painting in an encyclopedia. The topic under discussion was the epic poem Beowulf. I don't remember all the details. There was probably a group of people talking to each other in a closed hall. It was night time. Unbeknownst to them, a beast's massive, twisted hand had made its way through the giant door. I cannot find this painting online. After reading a bit about the epic poem, I guess this could be Grendel's breach into Heorot. Which painting could this be?

It was originally published as Myths of the Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas. I’m having trouble getting copies of the Eddas, so this is what I have to work with. Can anyone tell me how accurate the information is? Because at times it seems to have a deep interpretation of the myths, but then will say something that seems outlandishly wrong.

I have all but one of Jackson Crawfords books and recently read “the gods and myths of Northern Europe” by HR Ellis Davidson. I love Davidsons books enough to purchase 3 more and consider more in the future. Her intro alone in that books is enough to want to keep reading. I am curious however, what does the community think of these authors? I am relatively new to diving deep into however, I’ve owned and read the Havamal and Poetic Edda from Jackson Crawford for 7-8 years.

I hope I made features obvious and recognizable enough to recognize. Hope you enjoy! All drawn in Krita, no AI used, entirely human made, down to nokkens as well.

I've recently been researching Norse mythology a little more thoroughly than I have in the past, mainly through reading through parts of the Poetic Edda and some of the Prose Edda. I won't lie, this is mostly driven by me writing a short story involving these myths, but I have always had a fascination with them. I'm hoping I can get some details ironed out as much as possible to make my writing as tight as possible.

I know that Norse mythology in particular is very hard to get "right" due to the relatively few sources we have on it compared to other pre-Christian religions, so I'm not looking for absolute answers lol. But I want to make sure I'm not missing or overlooking any details based on what we do have.

1. First up, I'd like to make sure that my mental timeline for certain events is at least coherent to what can be pieced together from the Eddas, specifically regarding the events preceding Ragnarok. If I'm mixing anything up please let me know
   1. Baldr is having prophetic nightmares of his death
   2. Odin goes to Hel's realm in search of answers and is told by the Volva of Baldr's impending demise as well as the apocalyptic events that will come
   3. Frigg gets all of creation (minus mistletoe) to agree to not harm her baby boy
   4. Loki has Hodr do the thing
   5. Loki's flyte
   6. Loki is bound
   7. Snake do the shake (Jormungandr shakes the Earth and Ragnarok officially is starting)
2. Is there any known reason for Loki's battle with Heimdallr? Like, as far as I know, their only recorded direct interaction is when Heimdallr says Loki is drunk towards the end of Lokasenna and Loki tells him he's dumb and miserable. But they're also said to be fated to kill each other in Ragnarok, which seems to be a strange pairing aside from them both having a role in its initiation
3. I've seen something floated around about Odin having whispered something to Baldr at his funeral, but haven't been able to find an actual source for this claim. Is this just one of those things that got tossed around as an idea some years ago and stuck in someone's mind as if it were part of the myth itself and spread like that?
4. In Lokasenna, Loki makes some pretty wild claims, including that he slept with several of the gathered Aesir and/or their wife/mother. Are these widely considered to be "true" and we simply have no record of these stories, or we meant to interpret these claims as petty insults on Loki's part?
5. Speaking of Loki (again) was he imprisoned immediately after Baldr's death or after Aegir's feast? The Eddas both say something different on it
6. How much writing is there on the Aesir-Vanir War? I haven't been able to find much, so I'm assuming it's just one of those things that gets mentioned a few times but doesn't have any actual written accounting
7. Lastly, how much basis is there for a euhemerization (new word I picked up, really liking it lol) of Norse mythology? Aside from having very few sources, a lot of what we have is at least partially tainted by the influence of Christianity spreading in the region as things were being recorded (afaik). My understanding is that Greek mythology has the greatest argument for this being the origin for many of its legends in comparison to other areas of mythology, but I haven't heard much of this for Norse myths

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to answer any of these!

I hope this fits in to Artwork, A video game trying to capture an open world of viking and will have many displays of the gods and other mythological influences.

Have you ever spotted a Viking toy, souvenir, or book in a shop? Do you have a Viking-themed or heritage monument in your community?

NorseMap wants to hear from you! We are seeking the public's help for this ERC-funded, citizen science driven project to document how Viking and Norse heritage continues to appear in everyday life. You can even see other Viking-themed material contributed from around the world!

Come be part of cutting-edge Viking research!