We heathens use alot of words that new heathens, or non-heathens probably don't know. So i figured we could create a post to help clear it up a little bit.
Odin - the allfather. He is the god of war and the chief deity in the norse pantheon. The god of war and wisdom, he chooses the men who die in battle and are worthy of joining the einherjar (see below). Also the wisest being in all nine worlds
Einherjar - the warriors chosen by Odin to fight with the gods on Ragnarok. They feast with him in Valhalla (see below)
Valhalla - Odin's hall in Asgard. Its roof is made of shields, and rafters of spears. It has a pig that supplies endless meat, and also has a bottomless supply of mead (see below)
Mead - similar to beer. But made from fermented honey. Has a pretty high alcohol level compared to beer.
Vigrid - the plain where the battle of Ragnarok takes place.
Ragnarok - the twilight of the gods. Preceded by the fimbulvintr (see below), it is the end of all nine worlds in which everything dies. Some believe that everything starts again; But many believe that to be added by christians, and therefore not an actual part of the myth.
Fimbulvintr - also known as the fimbul winter. It is a three-year winter during whuch the world goes mad. Brothers kill eachother for small gain, mothers stop loving their daughters, the snow is colored red from all the bloodshed, etc.
Naglfar - a ship made of the finger and toe nails of dead men. Carries the dead from Hel on ragnarok to aid in the battle. Its helmsman is Loki and it's steered by a giant named Hrym.
Nastrond - "corpse shore," a place in Hel where oath-breakers, murderers, men who sleep with married women, etc. go. It's a shore filled with snakes and other unpleasant things, and the Nidhoeggr chews on the bodies strewn about. Not a place you want to go.
Hel (place) - the place where people who die the "straw death" go. Not to be confused with the christian hell. It is a cold and dreary place, but not tortuous like hell. Some say it's segregated into different areas based on the kind of life you lived; this might be UPG, however.
Thor - the thunder god. Son of Odin and protector of mankind. He wields the hammer called Mjolnir and the lightning is sparks that fly from when he strikes it. A major deity in the norse pantheon.
Yggdrassil - also known as the world tree. It holds up all the nine worlds, and at its foot sits the Norns.
Norns - three beings who weave the web of fate and create the destinies of gods and men alike. Named Urd, skuld and verdani.
Tyr - the god of courage and justice. An expert swordsman. Sacrificed his arm in order to trick Fenrir (see below) into being bound.
Loki - the trickster god. Swore a blood oath with Odin to be brothers and to always drink together. Sometimes helps, and sometimes harms the gods. Usually driven by self interest, but has done many good things for the gods.
Hel (goddess) - the goddess of the dead. She rules Helheim (also called Hel). Depicted as half a beautiful woman, and half rotting corpse. Which half is which, or how the beauty and rot is divided are all UPG.
Fenrir - a son of Loki. A gigantic wolf who grows terribly fast. The gods were afraid of the speed he grew, so tricked him to being bound. He bit off Tyr's hand and now lies bound with a sword shoved into his jaw. He will break free at Ragnarok and devour Odin.
Jormungandr - the midgaard serpent. A son of Loki who resides in the sea and creates its boundary by keeping his tail in his mouth. A mortal enemy of Thor, they fight and kill eachother at Ragnarok.
Muninn - one of Odin's ravens. He, along with Hughinn act as Odin's missing eye and surveil the nine worlds, reporting back to him about goings-on worth noting. English translation=memory or mind
Hughinn - Odin's other raven. (See Muninn.) English translation=thought
Holmgang(r) - a one on one duel to the death as a form of dispute settlement. After one man insulted another three times, this was the necessary legal recourse. Each person could choose a champion if they wanted to, but if nobody fought on your behalf, you became known as a nithing (see below)
Nithing - the super-insult of the time. It basically boiled down to "coward" and "non-human" and someone recognized as one had little more social standing than a slave
Danegeld - the name for payment given to the vikings in order for them to leave. An estimated 250,000-500,000 pounds of silver was paid throughout the viking age by various kingdoms throughout europe
Danelaw - similar to danegeld. A payment of land, rather than wealth. E.G. Normandy.
Hvitekrist - "white christ," another name given to jesus christ.
The raid on lindisfarne - the most famous viking raid. Vikings sacked the lindisfarne monastery in 793. Kickstarted the viking age.
Feel free to add anything to this. Gods, people, events, etc etc. I will also add stuff from time to time.
The Heathen Dictionary
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