Click here for audio version What do the Aesir gods do when they need help finding a cauldron big enough to hold all their ale? They call on Thor. The gods of Asgard decided one day to hold a feast, but Aegir, the god who prepared the ale, told the other gods that he didn’t have a cauldron big enough…
Click here for audio version In this next installment of the archetype series, I discuss the Shapeshifter. The Shapeshifter Do you like to read or watch characters who you don’t know whether to trust them or not? Or the characters who are fascinating because it is hard to tell which side they are on? They could be on any side…
Click here for audio version Did you know that Loki has a wife? If not, don’t feel bad. Loki’s wife, the goddess Sigyn (SIG-in), is only mentioned at any length in one story, the Lokasenna, and even then, it is more about Loki than her. For the most part, she’s either called Loki’s wife or Loki is called Sigyn’s husband. …
Click here for audio version You may not know the word archetype or what it means, but if you’ve read novels or watched movies and TV shows, you have encountered them. Archetypes are the characters who play a particular role in a story, like the Wise Old Wizard or the Femme Fatale, and we all recognize them when we see…
Click here for audio version How would you like it if your name meant “relation by marriage”? That is the unfortunate fate of the Norse goddess, Sif--her main importance is her relationship to others. Like some of the other Norse goddesses, there are few stories about her that survived. The only thing we do know is that she is a…
Click here for audio version Dwarves: the Norse Smiths When you need a weapon, a magical device, or beautiful jewelry, where do you go? To whom do you turn? In Norse mythology, the gods and goddesses sought the dwarves for all their magical object needs. How dwarves were created In the Norse creation story, the first being was created from…
Click here for audio version Freya: Beautiful and Fierce What do you do when you are a goddess in a male-dominated world? If you are the Norse goddess Freya, you become the goddess of sex and lust AND of war and death. Our Lady, Freya Freya, whose name means “Lady”, is the Norse goddess of love, lust, sexuality, war, and…
Click here for the audio version The right-hand man. What does this mean to you? The man who sits at the right hand of a king or other powerful leader, the man who is next in power? Or perhaps the right-hand man is the partner-in-crime or the best friend? Whatever the case, the right hand holds an important, symbolic function…
Click here for audio Ever wonder why Vikings had so many nicknames? The Vikings had to use nicknames because their society was patronymic--they derived their surnames from their fathers. So, if a man named Olaf had a father named Erik, Olaf would be Olaf Eriksson (Olaf Erik's son), or if his father's name was Bjorn, he'd be Olaf Bjornsson. If…
Click here for audio version What would you do if you lost your favorite possession? Something that kept you and your entire family safe? If you were a man, would you dress up as a woman and pretend to be the bride of your sworn enemy? If you were Thor, you would. Thor Loses Mjolnir One of my favorite stories…