Norse Destiny

  Norse Mythology is the ritual and spiritual beliefs of pre-Christian, Nordic peoples in geographic areas "extending from the Black Sea across Central Europe and Scandinavian to Iceland and Greenland" ("Germanic Religion and Mythology" 2 ). Their bewitching tales live on in our imaginations interwoven with folklore and exotic spiritual beliefs. The Nordic Gods live again to rule the universe in our collective revelation ("Germanic Religion and Mythology" 3).

 "The Gods of Norse and Germanic Mythology have left numerous traces in elements of everyday life" ("Norse Mythology" 7). Traces of their profound influence in our everyday lives are personified in our choice of names for the days of the week. Tuesday is Tyr's day, Wednesday is Wodin's day, Thursday is Thor's day, and Friday is Freyja's day ("Norse Mythology" 7). The concept of destiny is an ancient Nordic belief, which is embraced by peoples all over the world. Whether they be a romantic, a warrior, or individuals just simply trying to survive the drudgery of their everyday lives. The Christian belief in Hell also owes a lot to the Old Norse Faith in the incarnation of Hel's punishment ("Norse Mythology" 7). "The sacrifice to Freyr" ("Norse Mythology" 7) is incorporated into our Yuletide traditions with the presentation of the Christmas ham ("Norse Mythology" 7).

Attempts to revive the old faith in Europe and America have occurred throughout the past two centuries and survive today ("Norse Mythology" 7). As the "Aesir Faith, Odinism, Wotainism...or Heathenry" ("Norse Mythology" 7). Neo- Paganism is an official religion for practitioners throughout Europe.
Intellectuals have influenced popular culture through their romantic interpretations of Norse Mythology. Classical composer Richard Wagner's visionary work is thoroughly rooted in Norse Mythology ("Norse Mythology" 7). Wagner's most famous composition the Ring Cycle tells "Tales of Odin, Frigga, Loki, the Valkyries, and Ragnarok" ("Norse Mythology" 7). The Lord of the Rings written by J. R. R. Tolkien was inspired by the pagan beliefs of indigenous Northern Europeans. The literary world owes a great deal for the inspirational unleashing of the genre's creative forces to Norse Mythology. And without that primordial creation, our fantasy world would be a shadow of todays' thriving genre. There would be no dwarfs, elves, or frost giants  ("Norse Mythology" 7-8). And in an expansion of  mythological horizons, Norse creations have been found in a diversity of media, from Japanese animation to comic books and video games ("Norse Mythology" 8).

"Germanic religion and mythology." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 07 Nov. 2010 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/231102/Germanic-religion-and-mythology>.

"Norse Mythology." New World Encyclopedia. 3 Apr 2008, 23:37 UTC. 30 0ct 2010, 21:37http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Norse-Mythology?oldid=687165.

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