I had to ask, what do you all think of the Norse deities? Do they exist. If they do, do you think that the Eddas are a good representation of how they acted?
Yes they do exist. I have talked with them. Odin in particular. And all creation stories and God histories are up to interpratation. I believe that the Eddas are more a system of actual life lessons put forth to teach us rather then actual histories. But that as they say is up for interpratation.
Being a practicing Heathen/Norse Pagan I definitely believe my Gods exist.
In regards to the Eddas, however, I feel that they shouldn't be taken word for word. Things are translated differently depending on which translator's version you read, translations are lost and misinterpreted, and sometimes there's a lot of influence in their from other religions that I find to put a negative aspect of many things (or attempting to create dualism), which in our culture never existed.
I think the Eddas are a good source of information. But I do not agree with taking them literally word-for-word. And I think one who works with these deities will learn to incorporate their own understandings of the deities through UPG, PCPG, etc.
They are very much real. I have worked with the God and Goddess of Wicca, I was a Christian, and now I am an Asatru. Of all the divines I have worked with the Norse gods are the most intense and real. The Eddas are a good source of lore but not all of it is to be taken literally. There is a lot of symbolism to be observed in it.
I have to agree, as a whole, the Norse pantheon has the strongest physical presence out of all the other various deities I have worked with. They're very real. Definitely not manifestations of belief. My daughter has a huge interest in Thor, so of course, I've been brushing up on my knowledge of him. I found out that Thor has been worshipped by 14 names all over the world, one is a Native American thunder Spirit! Identical descriptions. Obviously, the same being.
I take the Eddas as clues to the Norse god's personalities, but not literal. Some parts unfortunately seem Christianized. It's really good to cross reference Norse myth with Celtic myth because the two share a lot of the same stories and deities (just named differently). By reading both sides, you get an idea of what portions of the eddas are truly "ancient" and what could be newer additions.
I would love to learn and read more on norse paganism. Becaue i am big in norse deities and norse mythology. As well as other gods and deities. I just love mythology all around. I know 2 of my favorite norse gods are Loki and Thor.
Yes, they do and the Eddas, well at the time they might of acted in such a way but who can say of now. The Norse Gods, like the men they created, Grew and Aged, so perhaps they mature too.
