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Hel
Hel is the queen of the afterlife realm of Hel in Norse mythology. She is the daughter of the god Loki and giantess Angrboda and sister of Fenrir the wolf and Jörmungandr the World Serpent. Although often referenced as a goddess, Hel is more...

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Viking Prophecy: The Poem Völuspá of the Poetic Edda
The Völuspá (Old Norse: Vǫluspá) is a medieval poem of the Poetic Edda that describes how the world might have come into shape and would end according to Norse mythology. The story of about 60 stanzas is told by a seeress or völva (Old Norse...

Definition
Mythology
Myths are a part of every culture in the world and are used to explain natural phenomena, where a people came from and how their civilization developed, and why things happen as they do. At their most basic level, myths comfort by giving...

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The Kon-Tiki Expedition Raft
A 1947 photograph of the Kon-Tiki expedition raft taken from an attached dinghy as the raft crosses the Pacific Ocean on its way from Peru to Polynesia.

Definition
Fenrir
Fenrir is the great wolf in Norse Mythology who breaks free from his chains at Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods, kills Odin, and is then killed by Odin’s son Vidarr. Fenrir is the son of the trickster god Loki and brother of the World Serpent...

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Tessa Thompson as a Valkyrie
Tessa Thompson as a Valkyrie in a modern interpretation of Norse mythology as portrayed in the movie Thor Ragnarok (2017). Valkyries were key figures in various Norse sagas such as Prose Edda, the Heimskringla and the Njáls Saga. They were...

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Loki Gives Sif the Gold-Spun Hair
An image presenting the trickster Loki giving Sif newly-made gold-spun hair. Loki was an entity in Norse mythology who was involved in misdeeds against multiple gods and mortals. One of them was cutting off the golden hair of Sif, the goddess...

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Sif- Norse Goddess with Golden Hair
An illustration portraying Sif, a golden-haired goddess in the Norse pantheon. She was associated with earth but was married to Thor, the god of the sky and thunder. Sif is a relatively little-known figure who appears mainly in the Poetic...

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Sif - Norse Goddess of the Earth
An illustration portraying Sif, a goddess in the Norse pantheon. She was associated with earth but was married to Thor, the god of the sky and thunder. Sif is a relatively little known figure who appears mainly in the Poetic Edda from the...

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Harald Bluetooth & the Conversion of Denmark
In Scandinavia, Christianity spread due to the support and encouragement of political rulers at the top of the society above all else. Conversion, defined here as the actions taken by kings or clerics to introduce the new religion, did not...