They might not be as famous as their Greek and Roman counterparts, but Norse gods have left a formidable legacy.
In this episode, we'll explore who these Norse gods were, the worlds they lived in, why belief in them all but died out, and the legacy they have left on language and culture.
[00:00:00] Hello, hello hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:00:12] The show where you can listen to fascinating stories, and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:22] I'm Alastair Budge, and today we are going to be talking about Norse Mythology.
[00:00:28] When you think of mythology, perhaps you think of the Romans or Greeks, their stories of gods and goddesses and epic battles.
[00:00:37] But there was another European civilisation to the icy north, another civilisation with its unique set of stories and myths that are equally, if not more fascinating.
[00:00:49] So, in today’s episode we’ll come across stories of revenge, of mythical beasts, of love and of betrayal.
[00:00:58] We’ll start with an explanation of some of the key figures in Norse mythology before moving on to look at the impact that it has had on language and culture more widely.
[00:01:09] We’ve got a lot to get through, so let’s get right into it.
[00:01:14] You might already know a lot about Norse mythology.
[00:01:18] You might know nothing about it.
[00:01:20] Even if you are in that second category, and you think you know nothing about it, and have never encountered any links with Norse mythology, then let me start by reminding you that the signs of Norse mythology are everywhere around us.
[00:01:38] If you’ve met anyone named Freya, you’ve ever done anything on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, or you are listening to this episode on Bluetooth headphones, all of these have links in Norse Mythology.
[00:01:55] So, before looking at its impact on our lives today, let’s take a look at who these Norse gods actually were, what they did, and why.
[00:02:06] Our story begins in Scandinavia, a huge, snowy area in Northern Europe which includes the modern countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Importantly, Scandinavia doesn’t include Finland, which is a common misconception.
[00:02:24] Nowadays, these countries are famous for many things, a strong welfare system, a successful fishing industry, Spotify, the invention of Minecraft, and flat-pack furniture.
[00:02:38] But a thousand years ago, Scandinavia was clearly a very different place.
[00:02:45] Back then, the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark were home to a fierce race of people: the Vikings.
[00:02:52] Now, the history books don’t look particularly kindly on the vikings, they don’t have a great reputation.
[00:03:00] There’s a very good reason for this, of course.
[00:03:03] From the 9th century to the 11th century, they attacked countries all over Europe, burning down towns, stealing anything of value and killing anyone who got in their way.
[00:03:15] As a quick side note - we do have an episode just on the vikings, so if you would like to listen to that one, it’s episode number 96.
[00:03:25] But aside from raping and pillaging, and frightening the life out of anyone living near the coast of Britain or Northern France, the Vikings were actually a highly cultured and developed people.
[00:03:38] They were brilliant sailors, who may have travelled to America long before Christopher Columbus.
[00:03:44] They made beautiful jewellery and complicated wooden carvings.
[00:03:49] Alongside this, they also had a vibrant set of religious beliefs, which was known at the time as “the Tradition”, and is what we’ll be focussing on today.
[00:04:01] Now, the Tradition was a polytheistic religion, meaning that it had lots of different gods.
[00:04:08] The most powerful of these gods was Odin, the god of wisdom, magic and poetry.
[00:04:15] He was an old man with a beard, who was blind in one eye, rode a horse with eight legs, and had two pet ravens who perched, who sat, on either shoulder.
[00:04:28] Odin’s wife was a goddess named Frigg.
[00:04:32] Just like him, she was very wise, and she even had the power to see into the future.
[00:04:39] Odin and Frigg had several children.
[00:04:42] One of these children was Thor, the god of thunder.
[00:04:46] He was brave and strong, with a magical hammer which returned to his hand after he threw it.
[00:04:54] And their other child was Balder. He was known as the most beautiful of all the gods, so pure and perfect that he couldn’t be damaged by anything. Well, there was one thing, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
[00:05:09] Then there was Loki, the god of chaos and trickery, a naughty god who wasn’t so keen on following the rules.
[00:05:18] Sometimes, he acted as an ally, a friend, to the other gods, helping them to come up with clever plans.
[00:05:26] At other times, he tricked the other gods. The most famous of Loki’s tricks, if you can really call it a trick, was the murder of Balder, who remember, was Odin and Frigg’s perfect son, the one who couldn’t be damaged or hurt by anything.
[00:05:45] Anything, that is, except for a piece of mistletoe, a poisonous plant with white berries, the one people kiss under at Christmas time.
[00:05:56] When Loki learned about Balder’s weakness, he tricked one of the other gods into throwing a piece of mistletoe at Balder.
[00:06:06] Balder was killed, and when Odin found out what had happened, he was furious, and set out to punish Loki in the most terrible way.
[00:06:18] According to the stories, Loki was tied to a rock and dropped into a cave, where a venomous snake would drip poison on his face for all eternity.
[00:06:31] There were plenty of other gods as well.
[00:06:33] Hel, the goddess of death, who only had half a face.
[00:06:39] Tyr, the god of warriors, whose hand was bitten off by a giant wolf.
[00:06:45] Freya, the goddess of love and beauty, who rode a chariot pulled by cats.
[00:06:52] Nobody knows for certain how many gods there were altogether, but some historians think there were almost a hundred.
[00:07:00] Certainly too many for me to talk about here, but I hope this has been a useful overview of some of the main characters.
[00:07:09] Perhaps you can already see some similarities in gods in other mythological stories, or some more modern characters who bear a striking resemblance to these ancient, Norse, gods.
[00:07:22] So, how about where they actually lived?
[00:07:25] The Greek and Roman Gods famously lived on Mount Olympus, which is, in fact, a real mountain - it’s the highest mountain in Greece.
[00:07:35] In Norse mythology, the Gods lived in a different world altogether. It was called Asgard, and it was a beautiful place full of extravagant palaces where the gods would spend their time.
[00:07:49] Alongside Asgard, there were eight other worlds.
[00:07:53] One of these worlds was Midgard, the home of human beings, the world that you and I live in.
[00:08:00] And the world the Vikings lived in, of course.
[00:08:03] Another world was called Jotunheim, and it was home to evil, powerful giants.
[00:08:10] As well as Asgard, Midgard and Jotunheim, the vikings also believed in a place called Alfheim, which was a world full of elves, and Nidavellir, a world full of dwarves.
[00:08:24] Now, perhaps you think this all sounds wonderful and you have decided that you are going to convert and become a believer in Norse mythology.
[00:08:33] Perhaps you think it sounds somewhat strange. Interesting, but not particularly believable.
[00:08:39] In any case, there are only a few thousand people in the entire world today who still worship the Norse gods, or believe in the theory of the Nine Worlds, as it's called.
[00:08:52] It’s no longer a popular religion by any means, so what went wrong?
[00:08:58] Well, for this we have to thank, or blame perhaps, Christianity.
[00:09:04] As the Vikings started to raid Britain, they came into contact with Christianity, which was the dominant religion in Britain by the time of the Vikings’ arrival.
[00:09:15] Historians believe that there are several possible reasons that the Vikings embraced Christianity so quickly.
[00:09:23] Perhaps it could have been to do with the fact that the Christian ideals of love and acceptance, of going to heaven and not having to constantly fight people in bloody battles, that this was alluring, it was attractive.
[00:09:39] Perhaps it was due to the fact that the Vikings wanted to assimilate, to blend in, with the native, Christian population.
[00:09:48] Perhaps it was after pressure from Germans to the south.
[00:09:53] Perhaps it was because they already had a hundred or so gods, and they figured that adding another one to believe in wouldn’t be such a big deal.
[00:10:03] Whatever the true reason, or whatever the mix of reasons, relatively soon after the Viking raids started, the Vikings increasingly started to worship a blend, a mixture, of Christianity and Norse Mythology.
[00:10:20] Even when the first Christian churches were built in Scandinavia, there were often Norse gods and creatures carved into the wood alongside the pictures of Jesus and the cross, and archaeologists have also found gravestones with the cross of Jesus on one half, and the hammer of Thor on the other.
[00:10:43] And with time, Norse mythology eventually faded away almost entirely, with Christianity taking its place.
[00:10:52] By the fourteenth century, Jesus was the dominant force in Scandinavia, and the viking gods never really recovered.
[00:11:02] This being said, while belief in Norse gods has now all but disappeared, their legacy and influence is everywhere we look.
[00:11:12] The English language, for example, is dotted with references to Norse gods.
[00:11:18] The days of the week are the most obvious example of this.
[00:11:22] “ Tuesday” is named after Tyr, the god of warriors, the one whose hand was bitten off by a giant wolf. It literally means the Day of Tyr.
[00:11:33] And it isn’t the only example. “Wednesday” is named after Odin, who was also known as Wodin.
[00:11:40] “Thursday”, of course, is named after Thor.
[00:11:44] And finally we have Friday, named after Frigg.
[00:11:48] The other days of the week, as you may know, have different origins: “Monday” is named after the moon, “Sunday” is named after the sun, and “Saturday” is named after Saturn.
[00:12:00] But the Norse gods still gave their names to more than half of the English days of the week, which is pretty impressive for a belief system that all but died out in Britain over 1,000 years ago.
[00:12:14] And it’s not the only influence on English.
[00:12:18] We can see the influence of Norse mythology in English place names too.
[00:12:23] In Britain, there are 39 places which are named after Odin, or Wodin.
[00:12:29] Places like Wanstead, Wanston and Wambrook are all references to the old Norse god, even though if you went and asked someone on the street there, I imagine most wouldn’t realise it. And what about the names of people?
[00:12:45] Well, unless you live in Scandinavia, you probably don’t know anyone called Odin or Thor.
[00:12:52] But do you know anyone called Freya? The goddess with a chariot pulled by cats?
[00:12:58] For the past few years, “Freya” has been one of the top twenty baby names for girls in England. I know plenty of Freyas, and it’s becoming more and more popular in non-English speaking countries too.
[00:13:11] And these are just a few of the references to Norse mythology in the English language.
[00:13:17] Most people don’t even realise they’re doing it, but there’s a good chance that an English speaker unwittingly mentions a Norse god at least once every day.
[00:13:29] We can also see its influence very strongly in stories. This ancient religion has inspired some of the most successful books and films ever made.
[00:13:40] If you look at a list of the bestselling books of all time, you’ll find JRR Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings at number three.
[00:13:48] It has sold over 150 million copies since it was published in 1954. Perhaps you bought one of them, and if you didn't, you may well have watched the films instead.
[00:14:02] If you know the story, either by reading the book or watching the films, you may well have noticed some similarities between the characters in Tolkein’s books and some of the gods I described earlier.
[00:14:15] Tolkein was incredibly interested in Norse mythology.
[00:14:20] He started a group called The Viking Club, where he would study Norse mythology with his friends.
[00:14:26] And these Norse influences are everywhere in his writing.
[00:14:32] Remember, in Norse mythology there are different races: gods, humans, giants, elves, trolls and dwarves.
[00:14:40] In Norse mythology, the dwarves lived in mountains and deep underground. They were famous for their mining and metalwork.
[00:14:50] In Norse mythology, the elves had magical powers and supernatural beauty.
[00:14:56] In Norse mythology, there was Odin, the wise old man with the beard.
[00:15:02] If you have read any Tolkein, and you know the story of Lord of the Rings, you will be able to clearly see the links between Tolkein’s world and the real, or at least believed, world of Norse mythology.
[00:15:16] And this is also true for hundreds of other books.
[00:15:19] Norse mythology’s magical races have inspired so many authors, including another of the best-selling writers of all time, one that came a little later: JK Rowling.
[00:15:31] If you’ve read Harry Potter, or you've seen the movies, you’ll remember that there are elves and giants, and a wise old man.
[00:15:40] Rowling even named one of her characters, an evil werewolf, Fenrir Greyback.
[00:15:47] If you think back to the wolf I mentioned earlier, the one who bit off Tyr’s hand. That wolf was also called Fenrir.
[00:15:56] So, these influences are everywhere if you look carefully enough.
[00:16:01] And in some cases, you don’t even have to look carefully at all.
[00:16:06] If you are a fan of Marvel, you’ll know that two of the main characters are Thor and Loki.
[00:16:13] Just like the Thor in Norse mythology, the Thor in the Marvel movies is the god of thunder, with a magical hammer which returns to his hand after he throws it.
[00:16:25] His father is Odin, his mother is Frigg, and he comes from a world called Asgard.
[00:16:32] And as for Loki, he’s the son of a giant, who sometimes works on Thor’s side, and at other times betrays him.
[00:16:40] It’s pretty much the same story, with a 21st century twist!
[00:16:45] And now, before we finish, we just have time for another interesting fact about the impact of the vikings on the modern world.
[00:16:54] And this is a legacy that you may well be using at this very moment, if you are listening to this with headphones without wires, on AirPods or something like that.
[00:17:06] I’m talking about Bluetooth, the wireless technology.
[00:17:11] Bluetooth was named after a Viking king, Harald Bluetooth.
[00:17:16] He was the King of Denmark at the end of the 10th century, and he wasn’t particularly good at brushing his teeth.
[00:17:23] One tooth got so rotten that it turned blue. That’s where this nickname comes from.
[00:17:30] So, why name this technology after this dentist-hating Danish king?
[00:17:36] Well, Harald Bluetooth was famous for connecting Denmark and Norway into one kingdom, just like Bluetooth technology connects phones to computers or headphones or things like that.
[00:17:50] If you are listening to this episode via Bluetooth, or you have a Bluetooth-enabled phone or computer nearby, take a look at the Bluetooth logo now.
[00:18:01] It looks a bit like two triangles with lines sticking out of the left, or maybe you think it looks a bit like the letter “B”.
[00:18:10] The Bluetooth logo is actually a pair of viking runes, or Old Norse symbols - Hagall and Bjarkan. H and B, if you were to convert them to English.
[00:18:24] These letters were Harald Bluetooth’s initials, his initials now forever embedded on a technology used by billions of people around the world every day.
[00:18:35] So, next time you turn on your Bluetooth, you meet a lady called Freya, or you need to arrange anything for a weekday except Monday, just remember that the remnants of Norse mythology are everywhere around us.
[00:18:49] And if this story has really captured you, I’m glad to hear it. Maybe even next Wednesday, or Wodin’s Day, you’ll decide to spare a thought for that wise, one-eyed god, Wodin, and his eight-legged horse.
[00:19:07] Ok then, that is it for today's episode on Norse mythology.
[00:19:12] Now that you know what you’re looking for, hopefully you’ll be able to spot the influence of the vikings and their ancient gods in all kinds of unexpected places.
[00:19:22] As always, I would love to know what you thought about this episode.
[00:19:26] Which one of the Norse gods did you find the most interesting?
[00:19:30] Can you think of any other books or films which have been influenced by Norse mythology?
[00:19:36] How do you think the vikings would feel to know the impact that their religion and culture has on the modern world?
[00:19:43] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:19:46] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com, and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:19:55] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:20:00] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
[00:00:00] Hello, hello hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:00:12] The show where you can listen to fascinating stories, and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:22] I'm Alastair Budge, and today we are going to be talking about Norse Mythology.
[00:00:28] When you think of mythology, perhaps you think of the Romans or Greeks, their stories of gods and goddesses and epic battles.
[00:00:37] But there was another European civilisation to the icy north, another civilisation with its unique set of stories and myths that are equally, if not more fascinating.
[00:00:49] So, in today’s episode we’ll come across stories of revenge, of mythical beasts, of love and of betrayal.
[00:00:58] We’ll start with an explanation of some of the key figures in Norse mythology before moving on to look at the impact that it has had on language and culture more widely.
[00:01:09] We’ve got a lot to get through, so let’s get right into it.
[00:01:14] You might already know a lot about Norse mythology.
[00:01:18] You might know nothing about it.
[00:01:20] Even if you are in that second category, and you think you know nothing about it, and have never encountered any links with Norse mythology, then let me start by reminding you that the signs of Norse mythology are everywhere around us.
[00:01:38] If you’ve met anyone named Freya, you’ve ever done anything on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, or you are listening to this episode on Bluetooth headphones, all of these have links in Norse Mythology.
[00:01:55] So, before looking at its impact on our lives today, let’s take a look at who these Norse gods actually were, what they did, and why.
[00:02:06] Our story begins in Scandinavia, a huge, snowy area in Northern Europe which includes the modern countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Importantly, Scandinavia doesn’t include Finland, which is a common misconception.
[00:02:24] Nowadays, these countries are famous for many things, a strong welfare system, a successful fishing industry, Spotify, the invention of Minecraft, and flat-pack furniture.
[00:02:38] But a thousand years ago, Scandinavia was clearly a very different place.
[00:02:45] Back then, the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark were home to a fierce race of people: the Vikings.
[00:02:52] Now, the history books don’t look particularly kindly on the vikings, they don’t have a great reputation.
[00:03:00] There’s a very good reason for this, of course.
[00:03:03] From the 9th century to the 11th century, they attacked countries all over Europe, burning down towns, stealing anything of value and killing anyone who got in their way.
[00:03:15] As a quick side note - we do have an episode just on the vikings, so if you would like to listen to that one, it’s episode number 96.
[00:03:25] But aside from raping and pillaging, and frightening the life out of anyone living near the coast of Britain or Northern France, the Vikings were actually a highly cultured and developed people.
[00:03:38] They were brilliant sailors, who may have travelled to America long before Christopher Columbus.
[00:03:44] They made beautiful jewellery and complicated wooden carvings.
[00:03:49] Alongside this, they also had a vibrant set of religious beliefs, which was known at the time as “the Tradition”, and is what we’ll be focussing on today.
[00:04:01] Now, the Tradition was a polytheistic religion, meaning that it had lots of different gods.
[00:04:08] The most powerful of these gods was Odin, the god of wisdom, magic and poetry.
[00:04:15] He was an old man with a beard, who was blind in one eye, rode a horse with eight legs, and had two pet ravens who perched, who sat, on either shoulder.
[00:04:28] Odin’s wife was a goddess named Frigg.
[00:04:32] Just like him, she was very wise, and she even had the power to see into the future.
[00:04:39] Odin and Frigg had several children.
[00:04:42] One of these children was Thor, the god of thunder.
[00:04:46] He was brave and strong, with a magical hammer which returned to his hand after he threw it.
[00:04:54] And their other child was Balder. He was known as the most beautiful of all the gods, so pure and perfect that he couldn’t be damaged by anything. Well, there was one thing, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
[00:05:09] Then there was Loki, the god of chaos and trickery, a naughty god who wasn’t so keen on following the rules.
[00:05:18] Sometimes, he acted as an ally, a friend, to the other gods, helping them to come up with clever plans.
[00:05:26] At other times, he tricked the other gods. The most famous of Loki’s tricks, if you can really call it a trick, was the murder of Balder, who remember, was Odin and Frigg’s perfect son, the one who couldn’t be damaged or hurt by anything.
[00:05:45] Anything, that is, except for a piece of mistletoe, a poisonous plant with white berries, the one people kiss under at Christmas time.
[00:05:56] When Loki learned about Balder’s weakness, he tricked one of the other gods into throwing a piece of mistletoe at Balder.
[00:06:06] Balder was killed, and when Odin found out what had happened, he was furious, and set out to punish Loki in the most terrible way.
[00:06:18] According to the stories, Loki was tied to a rock and dropped into a cave, where a venomous snake would drip poison on his face for all eternity.
[00:06:31] There were plenty of other gods as well.
[00:06:33] Hel, the goddess of death, who only had half a face.
[00:06:39] Tyr, the god of warriors, whose hand was bitten off by a giant wolf.
[00:06:45] Freya, the goddess of love and beauty, who rode a chariot pulled by cats.
[00:06:52] Nobody knows for certain how many gods there were altogether, but some historians think there were almost a hundred.
[00:07:00] Certainly too many for me to talk about here, but I hope this has been a useful overview of some of the main characters.
[00:07:09] Perhaps you can already see some similarities in gods in other mythological stories, or some more modern characters who bear a striking resemblance to these ancient, Norse, gods.
[00:07:22] So, how about where they actually lived?
[00:07:25] The Greek and Roman Gods famously lived on Mount Olympus, which is, in fact, a real mountain - it’s the highest mountain in Greece.
[00:07:35] In Norse mythology, the Gods lived in a different world altogether. It was called Asgard, and it was a beautiful place full of extravagant palaces where the gods would spend their time.
[00:07:49] Alongside Asgard, there were eight other worlds.
[00:07:53] One of these worlds was Midgard, the home of human beings, the world that you and I live in.
[00:08:00] And the world the Vikings lived in, of course.
[00:08:03] Another world was called Jotunheim, and it was home to evil, powerful giants.
[00:08:10] As well as Asgard, Midgard and Jotunheim, the vikings also believed in a place called Alfheim, which was a world full of elves, and Nidavellir, a world full of dwarves.
[00:08:24] Now, perhaps you think this all sounds wonderful and you have decided that you are going to convert and become a believer in Norse mythology.
[00:08:33] Perhaps you think it sounds somewhat strange. Interesting, but not particularly believable.
[00:08:39] In any case, there are only a few thousand people in the entire world today who still worship the Norse gods, or believe in the theory of the Nine Worlds, as it's called.
[00:08:52] It’s no longer a popular religion by any means, so what went wrong?
[00:08:58] Well, for this we have to thank, or blame perhaps, Christianity.
[00:09:04] As the Vikings started to raid Britain, they came into contact with Christianity, which was the dominant religion in Britain by the time of the Vikings’ arrival.
[00:09:15] Historians believe that there are several possible reasons that the Vikings embraced Christianity so quickly.
[00:09:23] Perhaps it could have been to do with the fact that the Christian ideals of love and acceptance, of going to heaven and not having to constantly fight people in bloody battles, that this was alluring, it was attractive.
[00:09:39] Perhaps it was due to the fact that the Vikings wanted to assimilate, to blend in, with the native, Christian population.
[00:09:48] Perhaps it was after pressure from Germans to the south.
[00:09:53] Perhaps it was because they already had a hundred or so gods, and they figured that adding another one to believe in wouldn’t be such a big deal.
[00:10:03] Whatever the true reason, or whatever the mix of reasons, relatively soon after the Viking raids started, the Vikings increasingly started to worship a blend, a mixture, of Christianity and Norse Mythology.
[00:10:20] Even when the first Christian churches were built in Scandinavia, there were often Norse gods and creatures carved into the wood alongside the pictures of Jesus and the cross, and archaeologists have also found gravestones with the cross of Jesus on one half, and the hammer of Thor on the other.
[00:10:43] And with time, Norse mythology eventually faded away almost entirely, with Christianity taking its place.
[00:10:52] By the fourteenth century, Jesus was the dominant force in Scandinavia, and the viking gods never really recovered.
[00:11:02] This being said, while belief in Norse gods has now all but disappeared, their legacy and influence is everywhere we look.
[00:11:12] The English language, for example, is dotted with references to Norse gods.
[00:11:18] The days of the week are the most obvious example of this.
[00:11:22] “ Tuesday” is named after Tyr, the god of warriors, the one whose hand was bitten off by a giant wolf. It literally means the Day of Tyr.
[00:11:33] And it isn’t the only example. “Wednesday” is named after Odin, who was also known as Wodin.
[00:11:40] “Thursday”, of course, is named after Thor.
[00:11:44] And finally we have Friday, named after Frigg.
[00:11:48] The other days of the week, as you may know, have different origins: “Monday” is named after the moon, “Sunday” is named after the sun, and “Saturday” is named after Saturn.
[00:12:00] But the Norse gods still gave their names to more than half of the English days of the week, which is pretty impressive for a belief system that all but died out in Britain over 1,000 years ago.
[00:12:14] And it’s not the only influence on English.
[00:12:18] We can see the influence of Norse mythology in English place names too.
[00:12:23] In Britain, there are 39 places which are named after Odin, or Wodin.
[00:12:29] Places like Wanstead, Wanston and Wambrook are all references to the old Norse god, even though if you went and asked someone on the street there, I imagine most wouldn’t realise it. And what about the names of people?
[00:12:45] Well, unless you live in Scandinavia, you probably don’t know anyone called Odin or Thor.
[00:12:52] But do you know anyone called Freya? The goddess with a chariot pulled by cats?
[00:12:58] For the past few years, “Freya” has been one of the top twenty baby names for girls in England. I know plenty of Freyas, and it’s becoming more and more popular in non-English speaking countries too.
[00:13:11] And these are just a few of the references to Norse mythology in the English language.
[00:13:17] Most people don’t even realise they’re doing it, but there’s a good chance that an English speaker unwittingly mentions a Norse god at least once every day.
[00:13:29] We can also see its influence very strongly in stories. This ancient religion has inspired some of the most successful books and films ever made.
[00:13:40] If you look at a list of the bestselling books of all time, you’ll find JRR Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings at number three.
[00:13:48] It has sold over 150 million copies since it was published in 1954. Perhaps you bought one of them, and if you didn't, you may well have watched the films instead.
[00:14:02] If you know the story, either by reading the book or watching the films, you may well have noticed some similarities between the characters in Tolkein’s books and some of the gods I described earlier.
[00:14:15] Tolkein was incredibly interested in Norse mythology.
[00:14:20] He started a group called The Viking Club, where he would study Norse mythology with his friends.
[00:14:26] And these Norse influences are everywhere in his writing.
[00:14:32] Remember, in Norse mythology there are different races: gods, humans, giants, elves, trolls and dwarves.
[00:14:40] In Norse mythology, the dwarves lived in mountains and deep underground. They were famous for their mining and metalwork.
[00:14:50] In Norse mythology, the elves had magical powers and supernatural beauty.
[00:14:56] In Norse mythology, there was Odin, the wise old man with the beard.
[00:15:02] If you have read any Tolkein, and you know the story of Lord of the Rings, you will be able to clearly see the links between Tolkein’s world and the real, or at least believed, world of Norse mythology.
[00:15:16] And this is also true for hundreds of other books.
[00:15:19] Norse mythology’s magical races have inspired so many authors, including another of the best-selling writers of all time, one that came a little later: JK Rowling.
[00:15:31] If you’ve read Harry Potter, or you've seen the movies, you’ll remember that there are elves and giants, and a wise old man.
[00:15:40] Rowling even named one of her characters, an evil werewolf, Fenrir Greyback.
[00:15:47] If you think back to the wolf I mentioned earlier, the one who bit off Tyr’s hand. That wolf was also called Fenrir.
[00:15:56] So, these influences are everywhere if you look carefully enough.
[00:16:01] And in some cases, you don’t even have to look carefully at all.
[00:16:06] If you are a fan of Marvel, you’ll know that two of the main characters are Thor and Loki.
[00:16:13] Just like the Thor in Norse mythology, the Thor in the Marvel movies is the god of thunder, with a magical hammer which returns to his hand after he throws it.
[00:16:25] His father is Odin, his mother is Frigg, and he comes from a world called Asgard.
[00:16:32] And as for Loki, he’s the son of a giant, who sometimes works on Thor’s side, and at other times betrays him.
[00:16:40] It’s pretty much the same story, with a 21st century twist!
[00:16:45] And now, before we finish, we just have time for another interesting fact about the impact of the vikings on the modern world.
[00:16:54] And this is a legacy that you may well be using at this very moment, if you are listening to this with headphones without wires, on AirPods or something like that.
[00:17:06] I’m talking about Bluetooth, the wireless technology.
[00:17:11] Bluetooth was named after a Viking king, Harald Bluetooth.
[00:17:16] He was the King of Denmark at the end of the 10th century, and he wasn’t particularly good at brushing his teeth.
[00:17:23] One tooth got so rotten that it turned blue. That’s where this nickname comes from.
[00:17:30] So, why name this technology after this dentist-hating Danish king?
[00:17:36] Well, Harald Bluetooth was famous for connecting Denmark and Norway into one kingdom, just like Bluetooth technology connects phones to computers or headphones or things like that.
[00:17:50] If you are listening to this episode via Bluetooth, or you have a Bluetooth-enabled phone or computer nearby, take a look at the Bluetooth logo now.
[00:18:01] It looks a bit like two triangles with lines sticking out of the left, or maybe you think it looks a bit like the letter “B”.
[00:18:10] The Bluetooth logo is actually a pair of viking runes, or Old Norse symbols - Hagall and Bjarkan. H and B, if you were to convert them to English.
[00:18:24] These letters were Harald Bluetooth’s initials, his initials now forever embedded on a technology used by billions of people around the world every day.
[00:18:35] So, next time you turn on your Bluetooth, you meet a lady called Freya, or you need to arrange anything for a weekday except Monday, just remember that the remnants of Norse mythology are everywhere around us.
[00:18:49] And if this story has really captured you, I’m glad to hear it. Maybe even next Wednesday, or Wodin’s Day, you’ll decide to spare a thought for that wise, one-eyed god, Wodin, and his eight-legged horse.
[00:19:07] Ok then, that is it for today's episode on Norse mythology.
[00:19:12] Now that you know what you’re looking for, hopefully you’ll be able to spot the influence of the vikings and their ancient gods in all kinds of unexpected places.
[00:19:22] As always, I would love to know what you thought about this episode.
[00:19:26] Which one of the Norse gods did you find the most interesting?
[00:19:30] Can you think of any other books or films which have been influenced by Norse mythology?
[00:19:36] How do you think the vikings would feel to know the impact that their religion and culture has on the modern world?
[00:19:43] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:19:46] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com, and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:19:55] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:20:00] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
[00:00:00] Hello, hello hello, and welcome to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:00:12] The show where you can listen to fascinating stories, and learn weird and wonderful things about the world at the same time as improving your English.
[00:00:22] I'm Alastair Budge, and today we are going to be talking about Norse Mythology.
[00:00:28] When you think of mythology, perhaps you think of the Romans or Greeks, their stories of gods and goddesses and epic battles.
[00:00:37] But there was another European civilisation to the icy north, another civilisation with its unique set of stories and myths that are equally, if not more fascinating.
[00:00:49] So, in today’s episode we’ll come across stories of revenge, of mythical beasts, of love and of betrayal.
[00:00:58] We’ll start with an explanation of some of the key figures in Norse mythology before moving on to look at the impact that it has had on language and culture more widely.
[00:01:09] We’ve got a lot to get through, so let’s get right into it.
[00:01:14] You might already know a lot about Norse mythology.
[00:01:18] You might know nothing about it.
[00:01:20] Even if you are in that second category, and you think you know nothing about it, and have never encountered any links with Norse mythology, then let me start by reminding you that the signs of Norse mythology are everywhere around us.
[00:01:38] If you’ve met anyone named Freya, you’ve ever done anything on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, or you are listening to this episode on Bluetooth headphones, all of these have links in Norse Mythology.
[00:01:55] So, before looking at its impact on our lives today, let’s take a look at who these Norse gods actually were, what they did, and why.
[00:02:06] Our story begins in Scandinavia, a huge, snowy area in Northern Europe which includes the modern countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Importantly, Scandinavia doesn’t include Finland, which is a common misconception.
[00:02:24] Nowadays, these countries are famous for many things, a strong welfare system, a successful fishing industry, Spotify, the invention of Minecraft, and flat-pack furniture.
[00:02:38] But a thousand years ago, Scandinavia was clearly a very different place.
[00:02:45] Back then, the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark were home to a fierce race of people: the Vikings.
[00:02:52] Now, the history books don’t look particularly kindly on the vikings, they don’t have a great reputation.
[00:03:00] There’s a very good reason for this, of course.
[00:03:03] From the 9th century to the 11th century, they attacked countries all over Europe, burning down towns, stealing anything of value and killing anyone who got in their way.
[00:03:15] As a quick side note - we do have an episode just on the vikings, so if you would like to listen to that one, it’s episode number 96.
[00:03:25] But aside from raping and pillaging, and frightening the life out of anyone living near the coast of Britain or Northern France, the Vikings were actually a highly cultured and developed people.
[00:03:38] They were brilliant sailors, who may have travelled to America long before Christopher Columbus.
[00:03:44] They made beautiful jewellery and complicated wooden carvings.
[00:03:49] Alongside this, they also had a vibrant set of religious beliefs, which was known at the time as “the Tradition”, and is what we’ll be focussing on today.
[00:04:01] Now, the Tradition was a polytheistic religion, meaning that it had lots of different gods.
[00:04:08] The most powerful of these gods was Odin, the god of wisdom, magic and poetry.
[00:04:15] He was an old man with a beard, who was blind in one eye, rode a horse with eight legs, and had two pet ravens who perched, who sat, on either shoulder.
[00:04:28] Odin’s wife was a goddess named Frigg.
[00:04:32] Just like him, she was very wise, and she even had the power to see into the future.
[00:04:39] Odin and Frigg had several children.
[00:04:42] One of these children was Thor, the god of thunder.
[00:04:46] He was brave and strong, with a magical hammer which returned to his hand after he threw it.
[00:04:54] And their other child was Balder. He was known as the most beautiful of all the gods, so pure and perfect that he couldn’t be damaged by anything. Well, there was one thing, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
[00:05:09] Then there was Loki, the god of chaos and trickery, a naughty god who wasn’t so keen on following the rules.
[00:05:18] Sometimes, he acted as an ally, a friend, to the other gods, helping them to come up with clever plans.
[00:05:26] At other times, he tricked the other gods. The most famous of Loki’s tricks, if you can really call it a trick, was the murder of Balder, who remember, was Odin and Frigg’s perfect son, the one who couldn’t be damaged or hurt by anything.
[00:05:45] Anything, that is, except for a piece of mistletoe, a poisonous plant with white berries, the one people kiss under at Christmas time.
[00:05:56] When Loki learned about Balder’s weakness, he tricked one of the other gods into throwing a piece of mistletoe at Balder.
[00:06:06] Balder was killed, and when Odin found out what had happened, he was furious, and set out to punish Loki in the most terrible way.
[00:06:18] According to the stories, Loki was tied to a rock and dropped into a cave, where a venomous snake would drip poison on his face for all eternity.
[00:06:31] There were plenty of other gods as well.
[00:06:33] Hel, the goddess of death, who only had half a face.
[00:06:39] Tyr, the god of warriors, whose hand was bitten off by a giant wolf.
[00:06:45] Freya, the goddess of love and beauty, who rode a chariot pulled by cats.
[00:06:52] Nobody knows for certain how many gods there were altogether, but some historians think there were almost a hundred.
[00:07:00] Certainly too many for me to talk about here, but I hope this has been a useful overview of some of the main characters.
[00:07:09] Perhaps you can already see some similarities in gods in other mythological stories, or some more modern characters who bear a striking resemblance to these ancient, Norse, gods.
[00:07:22] So, how about where they actually lived?
[00:07:25] The Greek and Roman Gods famously lived on Mount Olympus, which is, in fact, a real mountain - it’s the highest mountain in Greece.
[00:07:35] In Norse mythology, the Gods lived in a different world altogether. It was called Asgard, and it was a beautiful place full of extravagant palaces where the gods would spend their time.
[00:07:49] Alongside Asgard, there were eight other worlds.
[00:07:53] One of these worlds was Midgard, the home of human beings, the world that you and I live in.
[00:08:00] And the world the Vikings lived in, of course.
[00:08:03] Another world was called Jotunheim, and it was home to evil, powerful giants.
[00:08:10] As well as Asgard, Midgard and Jotunheim, the vikings also believed in a place called Alfheim, which was a world full of elves, and Nidavellir, a world full of dwarves.
[00:08:24] Now, perhaps you think this all sounds wonderful and you have decided that you are going to convert and become a believer in Norse mythology.
[00:08:33] Perhaps you think it sounds somewhat strange. Interesting, but not particularly believable.
[00:08:39] In any case, there are only a few thousand people in the entire world today who still worship the Norse gods, or believe in the theory of the Nine Worlds, as it's called.
[00:08:52] It’s no longer a popular religion by any means, so what went wrong?
[00:08:58] Well, for this we have to thank, or blame perhaps, Christianity.
[00:09:04] As the Vikings started to raid Britain, they came into contact with Christianity, which was the dominant religion in Britain by the time of the Vikings’ arrival.
[00:09:15] Historians believe that there are several possible reasons that the Vikings embraced Christianity so quickly.
[00:09:23] Perhaps it could have been to do with the fact that the Christian ideals of love and acceptance, of going to heaven and not having to constantly fight people in bloody battles, that this was alluring, it was attractive.
[00:09:39] Perhaps it was due to the fact that the Vikings wanted to assimilate, to blend in, with the native, Christian population.
[00:09:48] Perhaps it was after pressure from Germans to the south.
[00:09:53] Perhaps it was because they already had a hundred or so gods, and they figured that adding another one to believe in wouldn’t be such a big deal.
[00:10:03] Whatever the true reason, or whatever the mix of reasons, relatively soon after the Viking raids started, the Vikings increasingly started to worship a blend, a mixture, of Christianity and Norse Mythology.
[00:10:20] Even when the first Christian churches were built in Scandinavia, there were often Norse gods and creatures carved into the wood alongside the pictures of Jesus and the cross, and archaeologists have also found gravestones with the cross of Jesus on one half, and the hammer of Thor on the other.
[00:10:43] And with time, Norse mythology eventually faded away almost entirely, with Christianity taking its place.
[00:10:52] By the fourteenth century, Jesus was the dominant force in Scandinavia, and the viking gods never really recovered.
[00:11:02] This being said, while belief in Norse gods has now all but disappeared, their legacy and influence is everywhere we look.
[00:11:12] The English language, for example, is dotted with references to Norse gods.
[00:11:18] The days of the week are the most obvious example of this.
[00:11:22] “ Tuesday” is named after Tyr, the god of warriors, the one whose hand was bitten off by a giant wolf. It literally means the Day of Tyr.
[00:11:33] And it isn’t the only example. “Wednesday” is named after Odin, who was also known as Wodin.
[00:11:40] “Thursday”, of course, is named after Thor.
[00:11:44] And finally we have Friday, named after Frigg.
[00:11:48] The other days of the week, as you may know, have different origins: “Monday” is named after the moon, “Sunday” is named after the sun, and “Saturday” is named after Saturn.
[00:12:00] But the Norse gods still gave their names to more than half of the English days of the week, which is pretty impressive for a belief system that all but died out in Britain over 1,000 years ago.
[00:12:14] And it’s not the only influence on English.
[00:12:18] We can see the influence of Norse mythology in English place names too.
[00:12:23] In Britain, there are 39 places which are named after Odin, or Wodin.
[00:12:29] Places like Wanstead, Wanston and Wambrook are all references to the old Norse god, even though if you went and asked someone on the street there, I imagine most wouldn’t realise it. And what about the names of people?
[00:12:45] Well, unless you live in Scandinavia, you probably don’t know anyone called Odin or Thor.
[00:12:52] But do you know anyone called Freya? The goddess with a chariot pulled by cats?
[00:12:58] For the past few years, “Freya” has been one of the top twenty baby names for girls in England. I know plenty of Freyas, and it’s becoming more and more popular in non-English speaking countries too.
[00:13:11] And these are just a few of the references to Norse mythology in the English language.
[00:13:17] Most people don’t even realise they’re doing it, but there’s a good chance that an English speaker unwittingly mentions a Norse god at least once every day.
[00:13:29] We can also see its influence very strongly in stories. This ancient religion has inspired some of the most successful books and films ever made.
[00:13:40] If you look at a list of the bestselling books of all time, you’ll find JRR Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings at number three.
[00:13:48] It has sold over 150 million copies since it was published in 1954. Perhaps you bought one of them, and if you didn't, you may well have watched the films instead.
[00:14:02] If you know the story, either by reading the book or watching the films, you may well have noticed some similarities between the characters in Tolkein’s books and some of the gods I described earlier.
[00:14:15] Tolkein was incredibly interested in Norse mythology.
[00:14:20] He started a group called The Viking Club, where he would study Norse mythology with his friends.
[00:14:26] And these Norse influences are everywhere in his writing.
[00:14:32] Remember, in Norse mythology there are different races: gods, humans, giants, elves, trolls and dwarves.
[00:14:40] In Norse mythology, the dwarves lived in mountains and deep underground. They were famous for their mining and metalwork.
[00:14:50] In Norse mythology, the elves had magical powers and supernatural beauty.
[00:14:56] In Norse mythology, there was Odin, the wise old man with the beard.
[00:15:02] If you have read any Tolkein, and you know the story of Lord of the Rings, you will be able to clearly see the links between Tolkein’s world and the real, or at least believed, world of Norse mythology.
[00:15:16] And this is also true for hundreds of other books.
[00:15:19] Norse mythology’s magical races have inspired so many authors, including another of the best-selling writers of all time, one that came a little later: JK Rowling.
[00:15:31] If you’ve read Harry Potter, or you've seen the movies, you’ll remember that there are elves and giants, and a wise old man.
[00:15:40] Rowling even named one of her characters, an evil werewolf, Fenrir Greyback.
[00:15:47] If you think back to the wolf I mentioned earlier, the one who bit off Tyr’s hand. That wolf was also called Fenrir.
[00:15:56] So, these influences are everywhere if you look carefully enough.
[00:16:01] And in some cases, you don’t even have to look carefully at all.
[00:16:06] If you are a fan of Marvel, you’ll know that two of the main characters are Thor and Loki.
[00:16:13] Just like the Thor in Norse mythology, the Thor in the Marvel movies is the god of thunder, with a magical hammer which returns to his hand after he throws it.
[00:16:25] His father is Odin, his mother is Frigg, and he comes from a world called Asgard.
[00:16:32] And as for Loki, he’s the son of a giant, who sometimes works on Thor’s side, and at other times betrays him.
[00:16:40] It’s pretty much the same story, with a 21st century twist!
[00:16:45] And now, before we finish, we just have time for another interesting fact about the impact of the vikings on the modern world.
[00:16:54] And this is a legacy that you may well be using at this very moment, if you are listening to this with headphones without wires, on AirPods or something like that.
[00:17:06] I’m talking about Bluetooth, the wireless technology.
[00:17:11] Bluetooth was named after a Viking king, Harald Bluetooth.
[00:17:16] He was the King of Denmark at the end of the 10th century, and he wasn’t particularly good at brushing his teeth.
[00:17:23] One tooth got so rotten that it turned blue. That’s where this nickname comes from.
[00:17:30] So, why name this technology after this dentist-hating Danish king?
[00:17:36] Well, Harald Bluetooth was famous for connecting Denmark and Norway into one kingdom, just like Bluetooth technology connects phones to computers or headphones or things like that.
[00:17:50] If you are listening to this episode via Bluetooth, or you have a Bluetooth-enabled phone or computer nearby, take a look at the Bluetooth logo now.
[00:18:01] It looks a bit like two triangles with lines sticking out of the left, or maybe you think it looks a bit like the letter “B”.
[00:18:10] The Bluetooth logo is actually a pair of viking runes, or Old Norse symbols - Hagall and Bjarkan. H and B, if you were to convert them to English.
[00:18:24] These letters were Harald Bluetooth’s initials, his initials now forever embedded on a technology used by billions of people around the world every day.
[00:18:35] So, next time you turn on your Bluetooth, you meet a lady called Freya, or you need to arrange anything for a weekday except Monday, just remember that the remnants of Norse mythology are everywhere around us.
[00:18:49] And if this story has really captured you, I’m glad to hear it. Maybe even next Wednesday, or Wodin’s Day, you’ll decide to spare a thought for that wise, one-eyed god, Wodin, and his eight-legged horse.
[00:19:07] Ok then, that is it for today's episode on Norse mythology.
[00:19:12] Now that you know what you’re looking for, hopefully you’ll be able to spot the influence of the vikings and their ancient gods in all kinds of unexpected places.
[00:19:22] As always, I would love to know what you thought about this episode.
[00:19:26] Which one of the Norse gods did you find the most interesting?
[00:19:30] Can you think of any other books or films which have been influenced by Norse mythology?
[00:19:36] How do you think the vikings would feel to know the impact that their religion and culture has on the modern world?
[00:19:43] I would love to know, so let’s get this discussion started.
[00:19:46] You can head right into our community forum, which is at community.leonardoenglish.com, and get chatting away to other curious minds.
[00:19:55] You've been listening to English Learning for Curious Minds, by Leonardo English.
[00:20:00] I'm Alastair Budge, you stay safe, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
[END OF EPISODE]
