Norse Mythology: The Unofficial Guide

By J. G. Harker

What makes Norse mythology "norse"? Why does Thor kill giants? What do the myths tell us about Loki's gender identity? The world of popular media is always happy to provide a modernized re-telling of ... more

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The podcast currently has 45 episodes available.

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Number 1: Episode 13 - An Apple a Day Keeps the Jǫtnar at Bay
In this episode we dig into the kidnapping of Iðunn, a goddess whose magic apples keep the gods perpetually young. But this story is a lot less about the apples and a lot more about the goddesses. Join me as we focus in on both Iðunn and Skaði, a jǫtun who becomes a goddess by marriage, and the way Loki plays a prominent role in both of their stories. Sources: “Apple and Apple Tree” by Joseph S. Hopkins, 2020, from mimisbrunnr.info “De Gamle Eddadigte,” transl. by Finnur Jónsson, 1932 “Haustlǫng”, transl by Richard North, 2010 “Lokrur, Lóðurr and Late Evidence” by Haukur Þorgeirsson 2011 “The Poetic Edda: Volume II - Mythological Poems” by Ursula Dronke, 1997 “The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Carolyne Larrington, 2014 “The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995 Contact: Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW Music: Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
September 04, 202229min
Number 2: Episode 12 - The One Where Thor Wears a Dress
In one of the most famous Norse myths of all time, Thor's hammer is stolen by the jǫtnar and the only way to get it back is to dress in drag. But this story is much more than a surface-level comedy. It turns Norse ideas about gender and societal expectations on their heads and teaches us a lot about the personalities of the gods. It also seems to prove the age-old adage that comedy is the one place where anything goes. Sources: “Negative Reciprocity” by Margaret Clunies Ross in “Prolonged Echoes” Volume I, 1994 “Níð, Ergi and Old Norse Moral Attitudes” by Folke Ström, 1974 “Paganism at Home: Pre-Christian Private Praxis and Household Religion in the Iron-Age North“ by Luke John Murphy, 2018 “The dating of Eddic poetry – evidence from alliteration” by Haukur Þorgeirsson, 2017 “Þrymsvkiða, Myth and Mythology” by John Lindow, 1997 “The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Carolyne Larrington, 2014 “The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995 Contact: Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW Music: Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
August 28, 202226min
Number 3: Episode 4 - Wells, Wisdom, and Fate
In which Oðinn may not be the only Norse god to have ever sacrificed a part of his body for a drink from the well of wisdom. This episode covers the two most famous wells situated near the World Tree, Yggdrasill, as well as the beings who maintain them: Mímir whose severed head offers counsel to Oðinn, and the norns who author the fates of mankind. And did you know that the norns are the reason why the English word "weird" still exists today? Sources: “Chronicles” Volume II by Raphael Holinshed, 1587 “Dictionary of Northern Mythology”, by Rudolf Simek, 2010 “Fate” by John Lindow in “Pre-Christian Religions of the North” Volume II, 2020 “Norns” by Karen Bek-Pedersen in “Pre-Christian Religions of the North” Volume II, 2020 “The History and Chronicles of Scotland” Volume II by Hector Boece, transl. by John Bellenden, early 1500s. “The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Carolyne Larrington, 2014 “The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995 Contact: Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW Music: Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com). Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
June 25, 202230min
Number 4: Episode 3 - Of Yggdrasill and the Cosmos
The universe according to Norse mythology is organized around a giant ash tree called Yggdrasill. But did you know that the motif of worshiping a giant, cosmically-central tree shows up in 8th-century Christian literature from England? And did you know the word "Yggdrasill" might be a reference to a story about Odin learning the runes by means of hanging himself? This episode doesn't cover everything the myths say about the famous World Tree, but it does dive into the importance of the great, cosmic ash to the ancient Norse and other pagan, Germanic societies. Sources: “Cosmology” by Mathias Nordvig in “Pre-Christian Religions of the North” Volume III, 2020 “Dictionary of Northern Mythology”, by Rudolf Simek, 2010 “Dream of the Rood”, transl. by Richard Hamer, 1970 “Evergreen Ash: Ecology and Catastrophe in Old Norse Myth and Literature”, by Christopher Abram, 2019 “Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs” by John Lindow, 2001 “Sacred Tree and Holy Grove” by Joseph S. Hopkins at mimisbrunr.info, 2020 “The Forest in Old High German Literature” by Michael J. Swisher in “Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik”, 1988 “The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Carolyne Larrington, 2014 “The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995 Contact: Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW Music: Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com). Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
June 20, 202225min
Number 5: Episode 2 - Creation Part II: Humans are Just Trees
In this episode we complete the creation of the world and dive into the origins of humanity. We'll talk about Christian influence in our sources, the dangers of taking our source texts too literally, and the difference between humans and trees in Norse poetic culture. Spoiler: there is no difference. Sources: "Dictionary of Northern Mythology", Rudolf Simek, 2010 "Evergreen Ash: Ecology and Catastrophe in Old Norse Myth and Literature", Christopher Abram, 2019 "Sacred Tree and Holy Grove", Joseph S. Hopkins, 2020, mimisbrunnr.info "The Poetic Edda", transl. Carolyne Larrington, 2014 "The Prose Edda", transl. Anthony Faulkes, 1995 Contact: Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW Music: Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com). Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
June 11, 202227min