Definition
Norse mythology is the religious belief system of the pre-Christian Scandinavian peoples, including the Vikings. It encompasses a pantheon of gods such as Odin, Thor, and Freyja, a cosmology centered on the world tree Yggdrasil, and a foretold end of the world known as Ragnarok.
These myths survive mainly in medieval Icelandic texts, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, written down after the region had largely converted to Christianity.
Why it matters
How it works
Norse mythology functioned as a shared framework explaining the natural world, the social order, and the fate of warriors after death. Gods were powerful but not all-knowing, and even they were destined to fall at Ragnarok, reflecting a culture comfortable with the idea of inescapable fate. The myths were preserved through skaldic poetry and storytelling until Christian-era Icelanders, valuing the literary heritage, committed them to writing, blending old material with their new faith.