Giant / Norden Gods

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Based mainly on the Norse myths. The faiths/pantheons are worshiped by the northern Dwarves, Giants, and people from Ivinia (northern coastal area).

Norse Pantheon

Copied from http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/norse-mythology.php I didn't list them all because there are 191 of them.

Odin

Also known as GANGLERI, ODINN, OTHINN, VAK, VALTAM, WODAN, WOTAN, WODIN.

ODIN: The Norse Biggy. ODIN is Father of the Gods, King of ASGARD, Ruler of the AESIR and the Lord of War, Death and Knowledge.

To travel the world without being recognised, he wears a huge wide-brimmed hat. He also - thanks to LOKI - rides an eight-legged horse into battle. All he needs is a six-shooter and a sheriff's badge to be able to stand in for John Wayne in True Grit. His biggest fans include the Berserkers, which should give you some idea.

He's also very hot on Knowledge and Military Intelligence, having two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, who fly around the world every day bringing up-to-date reports.

ODIN himself has only one eye, having traded the other one for a sip from MIMIR's Well of Wisdom during his visit to the great World Tree YGGDRASIL. Consequently he's full of knowledge, while his missing eye is hidden in an unknown location care of MIMIR the Talking Head. The eye enabled MIMIR to focus on far-distant events, allowing ODIN the ability to always see far ahead.

To become the Top Wise Guy, ODIN put himself through some incredibly rigorous ordeals. The Well of Wisdom lies under the second root of YGGDRASIL, which allows the Dew of Knowledge to seep into it. So ODIN stabbed himself with his own spear and hung himself on the tree for nine days and nights. He was then allowed a peep, and saw magic runes appear on rocks beneath him.

With a superhuman effort he struggled to lift them, which must have been quite an acrobatic feat. Running his eye over the mystic symbols, he was instantly freed of all encumbrances; restored and rejuvenated with everlasting vigour enabling him to drop lightly to the ground.

His ordeal accomplished, ODIN was at last able to take a well-deserved swig from MIMIR's well, making him well-wise as well as wise. It was even tastier than his usual tipple Kvas, the Mead of Inspiration, a special brew made from the blood of KVASIR.

If you think a wise one-eyed Norse cowboy on an eight-legged horse would be easy to recognise, this ain't necessarily so for ODIN is a shapechanger, and his range of disguises make Sherlock Holmes look like Miss Marple. He also travels incognito under a variety of false names.

Sharing primeval God status with brothers VE and VILI, the Great ODIN helped bring the world as we know it into being, so we can forgive his little foibles. The legend tells that in the ice-laden wastes of NIFLHEIM, he got into a rather catastophic snowball fight with YMIR, the king of the FROST-GIANTS. The Abominable Snowgiant was slashed into pieces and ODIN made the world from all the bits. He even found a use for the eyebrows.

ODIN's dad is BOR, son of BURI, son of an ice cube. Married to FRIGG (with the occasional Freya fling and flirtation with RIND), the family firm includes BALDUR, HOD, HERMOTH, THOR and VIDAR. See also WODEN.

Thor

Also known as DONAR.

THOR: God of Thunder. Thursday is Thorsday.

Son of ODIN and JORD, he's the famous Scandinavian God with Hammer, the burly red-bearded Lord of Thunderstorms. He rides through the storm clouds in a chariot pulled by goats and throws his hammer MJOLLNIR all over the place to create lightning. Thud Thud Clang.

As perhaps you might expect, he's not terribly bright and LOKI was always leading him astray. But they were firm friends and THOR was always ready to bash his enemies with the business end of his hammer.

Married to SIF, he's also been known to have a fling with the Giantess JARNSAXA, with whom he produced the equally fearsome MAGNI and MODI. His daughter is THRUD. And that's not an insult, it's her name.


Loki

Also known as LODER, LOKE, LOKKJU, LOPTER, LOPTI.

LOKI: God of Hokey Pokey and one of the world's major Trickster Gods. Like fire and smoke he was a shapechanger from the word go. A talent he developed to make him the shiftiest transmogrifier of all time. From flea to fish to fast flying feathers in 0.3 seconds.

In his early days LOKI was a rascal; crafty, sneaky, silly and malicious - a Loki The Lad. He was the First Anti-Hero, quick-witting his way out of the tight corners and confrontations caused by his misdeeds. But as time wore on he became increasingly nasty.

His first escapade was a very rampant romp. When the Gods were struggling to build ASGARD, they found they'd run out of funds. Which is not surprising as money and banks hadn't been invented yet. All the basic construction had been completed but they needed a large protective wall to keep the riff-raff out.

LOKI came up with the plan of contracting a Giant to do the job and offering the Goddess FREYA if the work was completed to schedule. The Gods were not too sure. "Don't worry," advised LOKI. "He'll never manage it on his own, even if he works night and day - and the deal will be off. We'll let him keep the wheelbarrow or something."

Alas, the Giant was not on his own. He had a huge stallion called Svadilfari, which could haul boulders like there was no tomorrow.

With three days to go, FREYA was in distress and the Gods aghast. So LOKI changed himself into a mare and seduced the stallion. By whinnying and prancing off into the woods, Svadilfari was led far away from the stone pile. With his horse missing, the Giant didn't quite make the schedule. Seething with rage, he tried to take FREYA by force until THOR cracked his skull with his hammer.

Meanwhile LOKI was pregnant and decided to sample the joys of motherhood, giving birth to a fine stallion with eight legs. He gave this as a gift to ODIN and it was called Sleipnir.

LOKI was now well in with top God ODIN and his son THOR, with whom he shared numerous adventures. THOR, the perfect fall guy, was persuaded to appear in drag as the prospective bride of a giant and other embarrassments. THOR could always be relied on to supply the muscle when corners became too tight for trickery.

LOKI had many run-ins with the dwarves, which he cheated at any opportunity until they stitched him up. Literally. They stitched his mouth shut, which kept him quiet for quite some time.

LOKI never missed an opportunity to take advantage of any Goddess, despite already having had three wives. The first not many folk know about, and it is only by assiduous research we have discovered GLUT, who bore two daughters EINMYRIA and EISA. Next was ANGRBODA, a giantess who spawned FENRIR the Giant Wolf, JORMUNGAND the Earth-encircling Serpent, and HEL the Underworld Goddess. Finally there was his wife SIGYN, who produced their ill-fated sons NARVI and VALI.

For further LOKI adventures, click your way to ANDVARI, FAFNIR, GEIRROD, THIASSI and BALDUR. We are still investigating the mysterious theft of FREYA's precious necklace Brisingamen when a flea was seen to flee the scene. As a well-known God of bed-hopping, fingers of suspicion are already pointing at you-know-who.

As the most scandalous God of all time, LOKI was seldom out of the Nordic News or the Sunday Runes. But his tricks came to an end after causing the death of BALDUR. Now he's trapped in eternal punishment until RAGNAROK rolls around.


Freya

Also known as FREYJA.

FREYA: Goddess of Love, Fertility and Sexual Desire. She's also a feisty warrior and Queen of the VALKYRIES.

The daughter of NJORD, and the beautiful twin sister of FREYR, she is - to put it in modern vernacular - a bit of a goer. She did marry a God called OD, causing much confusion amongst academics and historians who have confused him with ODIN leading to further confusion by confusing her with FRIGG. But OD was a bit of a goer himself and nipped out one day for pastures new.

This caused much weeping of golden tears, but as usual FREYA made the best of a bad job and really went off the rails. She ran wild with Gods, mortals, giants and dwarves.

The stories and allegations of how she gained possession of Brisingamen, the golden amber necklace of desire, are scandalous. Especially the one about her bedding four dwarves in turn before they would give it to her. But this sort of thing is just titillation. In any case, the necklace was stolen by LOKI and - although it was rescued by HEIMDALL - we don't think she got it back.

Being a strong-willed warrior maiden, she joined and then led the VALKYRIES - so that she could have first pick of the slain battlefield warriors. Most of the slain go to VALHALLA, but the good-looking heroes go straight to her palace for rest and recuperation.

But FREYA does have a softer side - she loves romantic music and bunches of flowers. Her daughters are the beautiful HNOSS and the equally beautiful GERSEMI.


Baldur

Also known as BALDER, BALDR

BALDUR: ODIN's son BALDUR is the Scandinavian God of Peace. Not to be confused with hair piece.

A champion of goodness, innocence and forgiveness, he was loved by everybody. But news has just reached us that he was killed by LOKI. The good news is that, due to extensive mourning by all earthly things, he may be brought back to life.

No. It's failed - one old hag called Thokk has refused to weep, saying he never done nuffin for her. How did he die? Every thing in existence had promised never to harm him, thus making him completely indestructable. In fact he was so impervious to injury that at banquets guests used to amuse themselves by hurling things at him. So how did LOKI kill him? (It's more convoluted than Agatha Christie but bear with us.)

Ah, when all the world was promising not to hurt him, there was an abstainer. Mistletoe. Yes, mistletoe. When LOKI found this out, he made a dart of sharpened mistletoe and gave it to a blind god called HOD. In the middle of a banquet, HOD with sharp ears and sharp mistletoe hit the target. Zap!

But that's not the end of it. The old hag Thokk turns out to have been arch-villain LOKI in one of his many disguises. When confronted he tried to escape by turning into a salmon. But he was not slippery enough to escape the net and now faces perpetual punishment.

But there's more! HOD turns out to be BALDUR's unsuspecting twin brother. But was he full of hidden hatred? Will BALDUR return? Can HERMOTH save him from the Underworld? Can you wait for the next instalment? Stay tuned for Part Two of the Baldur Murder Mystery!


Hel

Also known as HELL, HELA

HEL: Goddess of HELHEIM, the Norse Underworld. So she's HEL of the HELHEIM hell hall, which tends to become hellishly confusing. The daughter of LOKI and ANGRBODA, she's an ugly half-dead hag with gangrene legs and a hideous face. Which just shows that you can judge by appearances.


She's also Goddess of the Blues. Half her body is blue and the words associated with her say it all: dank, clouds, hunger, tardy feet, splendid misery... Authoress of 'Nine Ways Out Of This World' and singer of jazz classic 'Oh Baby, Trouble in Mind' on the Doom and Gloom label. Also known as 'What the Hel we gonna do now?'


Tyr

Also known as TIWAL, TIW, TIWAZ, THINGS, ZIU

TYR: Started off as a fearless Germanic God of War, and became ODIN's left hand man when the Vikings came along.

He's bold and brave, but not too bright. Who else would be brave or foolhardy enough to keep FENRIR, the supernatural monster wolf, as a pet?

Whilst FENRIR was being restrained with a chain, he put his hand in the creature's mouth as a gesture of goodwill. Not a good idea. Now he is very left-handed as that is the only hand he has left. (Tolkien fans will note the similarity to Beren The One-Handed here.)

Can you be a right-hand man if you don't have a right hand? About TYR's only legacy now is that Tuesday is named after him. What he did on Tuesday we're not quite sure. Perhaps it was his day off.

TYR is shrouded in a great deal of mystery, speculation and rumor. He might be older than ODIN or even ODIN's son, and may once have been a wooden pillar that supported the Universe.

TYR could also have Celtic connections, putting himself about as NUADA of the Silver Hand with claims to have lost his hand in battle. The Germans or Teutons, who lost no opportunity to invade Mythology, called him Ziu or Tiuz, which could of course cause confusion with ZEUS. They also called him Things, from which the German word for Tuesday (Dienstag) is derived.

He has even been associated with Mars, probably by the U.F.O. tribe. The only certified documentation that can be produced is via the Norse Legends, but how often do Gods get asked to produce a passport?

Anyway, TYR is waiting for his revenge on the wolf FENRIR during RAGNAROK (he won't get it). Then again, RAGNAROK may already have happened, in which case TYR will have killed GARM the Monster Hound belonging to HEL.