Page 84 - Red Feather Book 2

Christians make the sign of the cross, the ancient Norse people would cross themselves to make the sign of the “hammer.” This symbolic gesture was also used to bless a newborn infant or a newly married couple, and to bid farewell to a corpse on a funeral pyre. Thor’s treasures also included a magical belt that doubled his strength whenever he wore it and a pair of goats that pulled his chariot across the sky. According to one well-known myth about Thor, Thrym, king of the giants, came into possession of Mjollnir and declared that he would give it back to Thor only if the beautiful goddess Freyja agreed to marry him. She angrily refused, and the trickster god Loki came up with a clever plan to recover Mjollnir. Using women’s clothing and a bridal veil to disguise Thor as Freyja, Loki escorted “Freyja” to Jotunheim, the home of the giants. Thrym greeted his bride, though he was surprised at her appetite at the wedding feast. “Freyja” consumed an entire ox, three barrels of wine, and much more. Loki explained that she had been unable to eat for a week because of her excitement at marrying Thrym. The giant accepted this explanation, and the wedding proceeded. When the time came for a hammer to be placed in the bride’s lap according to custom, Thor grabbed Mjollnir and threw off his disguise. Then he used the hammer to smash the giants and their hall.
There is another myth that recounts Thor’s encounter with the giant Hymir. Thor disguised himself as a blonde-headed young man and went fishing with Hymir, first killing the giant’s largest ox to use for bait. Thor then rowed their boat far out of sight of land and cast his hook. Something bit at the ox, and Thor drew up his line to discover that he had hooked Jormungand, the giant serpent that encircles the world. Placing his feet on the ocean floor, Thor pulled and pulled on the line, while the serpent spit out poison. Just as Thor was about to strike Jormungand with his hammer, Hymir cut the line and the serpent sank back down to the depths. Many myths say, however, that Thor and Jormungand remained bitter enemies, fated to fight again on the day called Ragnarok, the end of the world, when they will battle one another for the last time.
Odin
din was the ruler of the Aesir, the gods and goddesses of Asgard. Sometimes called
Allfather, Odin played a central role in myths about the creation and destruction of the world. He was the god of battle and also of wisdom, magic, and poetry. His name means “fury” or “frenzy,” the quality of fierce inspiration that guided warriors and poets alike. Odin, the favorite deity of princes, nobles, and warriors, came to be seen as the supreme Norse god, the one to whom the other deities turned for help and advice. He ruled them from his palace Valhalla in the heavenly realm of Asgard. As the god of battle, Odin watched
The Aesir 81 Norse Mithology