Like the Greeks and the Romans before them the Vikings worshipped many gods. Three of the gods were more important than the others:

Odin – The god of the warriors and battle, but also the god of wisdom and poetry

Odin had a horse called Slepner with eight legs so it never got tired, and two ravens called Hugin and Munin. Odin sent the ravens out every morning and in the afternoon they came back to tell him all the news from all over the world that day. Odin lived in Valhall. All those who had fallen in battle came to Odin’s castle, Valhall in Asgard.

Thor – The god of thunder

When he rode across the sky in his enormous chariot drawn by goats, there was thunder and lightening. His weapon was the hammer Mjollnir. Thor was the god of farmers and seafarers, always ready to protect humans against the dangerous giants of the underworld.

Frey – The god of fertility, marriage and growing things

When crops were sowed in the spring a hole was dug in the middle of the field. Pieces of bread and some eggs were put into the hole and some beer was poured on top. This pleased Frey and he would probably then help to make the crops grow tall and strong.

More about religion and mythology

You can read more about Norse Mythology on this website.

This post is also available in: Norwegian Bokmål