With the new Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series coming up, I thought I’d explore the connections between Tolkien’s world and the world of Norse mythology. Let’s start with Gandalf! Gandalf The most obvious, and most mentioned, connection between The Lord of the Rings and Norse mythology is the character of Gandalf. Gandalf is very similar to the…
Click here for audio version We are all familiar with dragons, those Western symbols of power, wealth, and greed. It should come as no surprise that people in the Viking world had stories of dragons. In fact, J.R.R. Tolkien derived the inspiration for his creature, Smaug, from one of the Norse world’s most well-known stories, the Saga of the Volsungs. Dragons…
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 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 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…
Click here for audio version The People's God It’s a stormy day, thunder crashes, lightning crackles. You think it’s caused by lightning, air currents, and sound waves. But it’s actually caused by the Norse god Thor (one of the mightiest of gods) as he fights giants. Thor is the god of storms and protects both the gods and men. Unlike…