Hey everyone, Welcome to Mythology Explained.
In today’s video, we’re going to discuss five of the most powerful gods in Norse mythology,
gods so powerful that their powers often dwarfed those of the other deities in the Norse mythos.
And just a quick comment before we get started: this list isn’t ranked and is by no means
comprehensive, so let us know in the comments who else you think deserved to be included.
Cases could certainly be made for Baldr and Vidar. Also, this video will only feature male deities.
We’ll make a separate video for female deities later on.
Let’s get into it.
Starting off our list is Odin.
Odin was the son of Borr, who was the son of Buri, who was the first god to come into
existence in Norse mythology. He was entombed in salty primordial ice and was thawed free by the
constant licking of Audhumbla, the cosmic cow, who subsisted on the ice’s salt. Odin had two
brothers Vili and Ve. Together they attacked and killed Ymir, the huge proto-giant that,
along with Audhumbla, was first to emerge in all of creation. From the colossal corpse, Odin and
his brother fashioned the world, and later, they created the first man and the first woman from two
logs. Each of the three imbued them with gifts, but it was Odin that quickened them with life.
Though Odin wasn’t the strongest of the Norse gods - that honour went to his son,
Thor - Odin was the most powerful of the gods. His power was rooted in his deep knowledge,
profound wisdom, and mastery of magic. He was taught Seid, a feminine type of magic,
from the vanir goddess, Freja; he became the master of poetry by stealing the mead of poetry
and bringing it back to Asgard; he learned the secrets of the runes and runic magic
by impaling himself with his spear and hanging himself from Yggdrasil, the world tree,
for nine days and nine nights; he sacrificed one of his eyes to Mimisbrunn, mimir's well,
so that he could gain its mystic visions; and he embalmed the severed head of Mimir with herbs,
resurrecting it, so that he could learn its secret knowledge. Beyond being one of the two
wisest gods, amongst the strongest gods, and having an unparalleled mastery of magic, Odin
also had two ravens who reported to him each day all the going-ons in the world, two huge wolves
who protected him, and a magical spear that never missed its target when thrust or thrown.
At number 4 we have Loki.
Unquestionably, Loki was a gifted warrior; his and Heimdall’s duel to the death during Ragnarok
places this statement beyond dispute. But Loki’s true power was of a more insidious nature.
Cunning, deceit, and manipulation were his true weapons. Treachery was a part of his being as much
as the blood that coursed through his veins. His trickery landed Asgard in countless predicaments,
and his guile and cleverness delivered Asgardians from nearly as many as he landed them in. A story
that exemplifies this turbulent dynamic is the story in which Loki shaved Sif’s, Thor’s Wife’s,
head. Thor, his wife now bald, got ahold of Loki, but Loki was able to forestall his well-deserved
thrashing by promising to find Sif new hair. Loki travelled to the domain of the dwarves,
and many events ensued. Loki returned with six magical marvels, among them: Sif’s new hair,
Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, and Odin’s spear, Gungnir. Unfortunately, in the end, during the events that
transpire in the mythic future, Loki becomes the ultimate doom and the primary architect
of Asgard’s and the world’s destruction. He tricks the blind god Hodr into killing
Baldr with a mistletoe projectile, and later, he prevents the other gods from resurrecting Baldr,
whose death was said to be one of the main events that heralded the coming of Ragnarok,
truly making his departure from the land of the living a devastating loss for the world.
Most heinous of all, though, was Loki’s union with Angrboda; by her, he sired three children,
Jormungandr, the world serpent, the goddess Hel, and the monstrous wolf Fenrir. During Ragnarok,
the world serpent and Thor were fated to kill one another, and Odin was fated to be
devoured by Fenrir; and it was foretold that Loki would lead the hordes of Hell against Asagard.
Taking the number 3 spot in Freyr
Freyr and his father Njord were originally of the Vanir, which was a tribe of gods that dwelt
on Vanaheim and was separate from the Aesir, who dwelt in Asgard and included gods of great renown
like Thor and Odin. In the mythic past, there was a war between the Vanir and the Aesir. Neither
tribe could defeat the other, so they eventually resolved their conflict through prisoner exchange.
Frey, along with his father, were the two gods sent to live with the Aesir.
Freyr was, in essence, a fertility god. The rain and the shining sun were his to command, and so,
through his power, the bounty of the earth on which the prosperity of man relied was doled out.
He was Considered the most splendid of the gods,
and those who sought peace and abundance were wise to invoke him.
The love of Frey’s heart and the device of his doom were intertwined. Gerd was a mountain giant
and the most beautiful of all women. Freyr became utterly infatuated with Gerd, so he
dispatched Skrinir, his manservant, to woo Gerd on his behalf. Skirnir agreed, but for a steep price,
Frey’s own sword, one of the most powerful weapons in all of Norse mythology. Sumarbrander
it was called, and it was imbued with magic and possessed the ability to fight by itself,
able to stab and slash without the hand of a wielder on its hilt. Freyr and Gerd get married,
and though he gained a wife, the loss of his sword would be something Freyr would come to rue.
Without his sword, He fought Beli, and killed the giant with a stag’s horn, but Freyr’s next
battle would pit him against a much mightier foe. Freyr was fated to to clash swords against Surtr,
the chief of the fire giants, during the bedlam and upheaval of Ragnarok.
By fate’s decree, Freyr will be killed in their clash, his hewn corpse cold on the field of battle
because he was without his good sword. . Coming in at number 2 we have Thor.
The son of Odin and Jord (Earth), Thor was married to golden-haired Sif, and he had three children:
two sons, Magni and Modi, and one daughter, Thrud, though all three of them had different mothers.
Thor was the strongest of the Norse gods, stronger even than Odin. His most prized possession was his
hammer Mjolnir, which was regarded as the most powerful weapon in Norse mythology,
even more powerful than Odin’s spear, which was said to never miss its mark when
thrust. The hammer could withstand even Thor’s mightiest blows, and if he decided to throw it,
it would always find its way back to his hand. Thor also had two other prized possessions,
a belt that doubled his strength, and the gloves he needed to properly wield his hammer. His
favoured mode of transport was to fly through the sky on his chariot, which was drawn by two goats.
These goats could be repeatedly killed and eaten, for so long as their bones were left undamaged,
they would always come back to life. With his hammer in hand, Thor was Asgard’s shield against
enemy forces. He spent his time slaughtering giants and destroying groups of ogres and trolls.
His deeds were so numerous that even the very wise were said to be unable to recall them all.
He slayed Hrungnir, the strongest of the giants, in a duel. He dressed as a bride and disguised
himself as Freyja so that he could take back his stolen hammer and slaughter Thrym and every giant
in attendance at the wedding. But of the countless battles Thor fought in, his greatest challenge
would present itself during the cataclysmic events of Ragnarok. Thor and The World Serpent were
fated to duel to the death. Thor, it was said, initially emerged as the victor, but this victory
is fleeting; for he is coated in so much venom that he drops dead after taking only nine steps.
Wrapping up this list is Tyr
One of the Norse gods of war, Tyr was the bravest god and one of the wisest,
a formidable combination. Despite his deep wisdom and prowess in battle, Tyr features seldomly in
Norse mythology. His most important appearance is in the binding of Fenrir, a giant wolf prophesied
to be one of the chief Banes of Asgard. By Angrboda, Loki sired three monstrous children,
the goddess Hel, Jormungandr, the World Serpent, and Fenrir an indomitable behemoth of a wolf.
Through prophecy it became known that these three children would wreak ruin upon the gods.
Hel was cast down to Niflheim, Jormungandr was cast down to the encircling ocean of Midgard,
but Fenrir was raised in the halls of Asgard. Only intrepid Tyr could muster
the nerve to feed Fenrir, but despite this, the wolf was growing at an incredible rate;
and it soon became apparent that Fenrir could no longer be allowed to run free.
Using their guile, the gods allayed Fenrir’s suspicions by presenting the chains they bound
him with as a contest of strength. They said that they wanted to see how strong he was,
so each time he broke a chain, a subsequent stronger chain was used. Though their approach
was cunning, no chain they could produce could resist Fenrir’s seemingly boundless strength.
The gods turned to the dwarves, who provided a chain - more of a ribbon, strong a supple - of
unconventional make. Fenrir perceived that it was different from the others and so grew suspicious.
He would only agree to be bound by this newest restraint if one of the gods placed
one of their hands in his mouth. Only Tyr was brave enough to do so, and here's what followed:
Fenrir couldn’t break free, the gods wouldn’t let him go, and Fenrir, with his terrible maw,
ripped off Tyr’s hand. Another story Tyr has an important role in is the chaos of Ragnarok.
Tyr was fated to perish in the fire and flood of Ragnarok. Garm, the hound of hell, said to be the
foulest of all beasts, and Tyr will become locked in combat, with both of them killing each other.
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