The Hammer of Thor
AEGIR—lord of the waves
AESIR—gods of war, close to humans
ALICARL—Norse for fatso
ARGR—Norse for unmanly
AVENTAIL—a chain mail curtain around the base of a helmet, meant to protect the neck
BARROW—the tomb of a wight
BERSERKER—a Norse warrior frenzied in battle and considered invulnerable
BIFROST—the rainbow bridge leading from Asgard to Midgard
BILSKIRNIR—Bright Crack, Thor and Sif’s palace
BINT—Arabic for daughter
BRUNNMIGI—a being who urinates into wells
DRAUGR—Norse zombies
EINHERJAR (EINHERJI, sing.)—great heroes who have died with bravery on Earth; soldiers in Odin’s eternal army; they train in Valhalla for Ragnarok, when the bravest of them will join Odin against Loki and the giants in the battle at the end of the world
FENRIS WOLF—an invulnerable wolf born of Loki’s affair with a giantess; his mighty strength strikes fear even in the gods, who keep him tied to a rock on an island. He is destined to break free on the day of Ragnarok.
FOLKVANGER—the Vanir afterlife for slain heroes, ruled by the goddess Freya
FREY—the god of spring and summer; the sun, the rain, and the harvest; abundance and fertility, growth and vitality. Frey is the twin brother of Freya and, like his sister, is associated with great beauty. He is lord of Alfheim.
FREYA—the goddess of love; twin sister of Frey; ruler of Folkvanger
FRIGG—goddess of marriage and motherhood; Odin’s wife and the queen of Asgard; mother of Balder and Hod
GAMALOST—old cheese
GINNUNGAGAP—the primordial void; a mist that obscures appearances
GJALLAR—Heimdall’s horn
HEIMDALL—god of vigilance and the guardian of Bifrost, the gateway to Asgard
HEL—goddess of the dishonorable dead; born of Loki’s affair with a giantess
HELHEIM—the underworld, ruled by Hel and inhabited by those who died in wickedness, old age, or illness
HUGINN AND MUNINN—Odin’s ravens, whose names mean thought and memory, respectively
HULDER—a domesticated forest sprite
HUSVAETTR—house wight
JORMUNGAND—the World Serpent, born of Loki’s affair with a giantess; his body is so long it wraps around the Earth
JOTUN—giant
KENNING—a Viking nickname
LINDWORM—a fearsome dragon the size and length of an eighteen-wheeler, with just two front legs and leathery brown bat-type wings too small for effective flight
LOKI—god of mischief, magic, and artifice; the son of two giants; adept at magic and shape-shifting. He is alternately malicious and heroic to the Asgardian gods and to humankind. Because of his role in the death of Balder, Loki was chained by Odin to three giant boulders with a poisonous serpent coiled over his head. The venom of the snake occasionally irritates Loki’s face, and his writhing can cause earthquakes.
MAGNI AND MODI—Thor’s favorite sons, fated to survive Ragnarok
MEINFRETR—stinkfart
MIMIR—an Aesir god who, along with Honir, traded places with Vanir gods Frey and Njord at the end of the war between the Aesir and the Vanir. When the Vanir didn’t like his counsel, they cut off his head and sent it to Odin. Odin placed the head in a magical well, where the water brought it back to life, and Mimir soaked up all the knowledge of the World Tree.
MJOLNIR—Thor’s hammer
MORGEN-GIFU—morning gift; a gift from the groom to the bride, given on the morning after a marriage is consummated. It belongs to the bride, but it is held in trust by the groom’s family.
MUNDR—bride-price; a gift from the groom to the father of the bride
MUSPELL—fire
NAGLFAR—the Ship of Nails
NØKK—a nixie, or water spirit
NORNS—three sisters who control the destinies of both gods and humans
ODIN—the “All-Father” and king of the gods; the god of war and death, but also poetry and wisdom. By trading one eye for a drink from the Well of Wisdom, Odin gained unparalleled knowledge. He has the ability to observe all the Nine Worlds from his throne in Asgard; in addition to his great hall, he also resides in Valhalla with the bravest of those slain in battle.
OSTARA—the first day of spring
OTHALA—inheritance
RAGNAROK—the Day of Doom or Judgment, when the bravest of the einherjar will join Odin against Loki and the giants in the battle at the end of the world
RAN—goddess of the sea; wife of Aegir
RATATOSK—an invulnerable squirrel that constantly runs up and down the World Tree carrying insults between the eagle that lives at the top and Nidhogg, a dragon that lives at the roots
RED GOLD—the currency of Asgard and Valhalla
SAEHRIMNIR—the magical beast of Valhalla; every day it is killed and cooked for dinner, and every morning it is resurrected; it tastes like whatever the diner wants
SIF—goddess of the earth; mother of Uller by her first husband; Thor is her second husband; the rowan is her sacred tree
SLEIPNIR—Odin’s eight-legged steed; only Odin can summon him; one of Loki’s children
SUMARBRANDER—the Sword of Summer
THANE—a lord of Valhalla
THINGVELLIR—field of the assembly
THOR—god of thunder; son of Odin. Thunderstorms are the earthly effects of Thor’s mighty chariot rides across the sky, and lightning is caused by hurling his great hammer, Mjolnir.
THRYM—king of the jotun
TREE OF LAERADR—a tree in the center of the Feast Hall of the Slain in Valhalla containing immortal animals that have particular jobs
TYR—god of courage, law, and trial by combat; he lost a hand to Fenris’s bite when the Wolf was restrained by the gods
ULLER—the god of snowshoes and archery
URNES—a symbol of two entwined snakes, which signifies change and flexibility; sometimes a symbol for Loki
UTGARD-LOKI—the most powerful sorcerer of Jotunheim; king of the mountain giants
VALA—a seer
VALHALLA—paradise for warriors in the service of Odin
VALKYRIE—Odin’s handmaidens, who choose slain heroes to bring to Valhalla
VANIR—gods of natur
e; close to elves
VIDAR—the god of vengeance; also called the Silent One
WERGILD—blood debt
WIGHT—a powerful undead creature who likes to collect weapons
YGGDRASIL—the World Tree
ZUHR—Arabic for midday prayer
AEGIR AY-gear
AESIR AY-ser
ALF SEIDR ALF SAY-der
ALFHEIM ALF-haym
ALICARL AL-ih-carrl
ARGR ARR-ger
ASGARD AZ-gahrrd
BIFROST BEE-frrohst
BILSKIRNIR BEEL-skeerr-neer
DAGAZ DAH-gahz
DRAUGR DRAW-ger
EINHERJAR/EINHERJI in-HAIRR-yar/in-HAIRR-yee
EHWAZ AY-wahz
FEHU FAY-hoo
FENRIS FEHN-rrihss
FOLKVANGER FOHK-vahn-ger
FREY FRRAY
FREYA FRRAY-uh
FRIGG FRRIHG
GAMALOST GA-ma-lohst
GEBO GIH-bo
GEIRROD GAR-rod
GERD GAIRRD
GINNUNGAGAP GEENG-un-guh-gahp
GJALLAR gee-YALL-ar
HAGALAZ HA-ga-lahts
HEIMDALL HAME-doll
HEL HEHL
HELGI HEL-ghee
HELHEIM HEHL-haym
HUGINN HOO-gihn
HULDER HOOL-dihr
HUNDING HOON-deeng
HUSVAETTR HOOS-veht-tr
ISA EES-ah
JORMUNGAND YOHRR-mun-gand
JOTUN YOH-toon
JOTUNHEIM YOH-tuhn-haym
LAERADR LAY-rrah-dur
KENNING KEN-ning
LINDWORM LIHND-wohrrm
LOKI LOH-kee
MEINFRETR MAYN-frih-ter
MIDGARD MIHD-gahrrd
MIMIR MEE-meer
MJOLNIR MEE’OHL-neer
MODI MOH-dee
MORGEN-gifu MORR-ghen-GIH-foo
MUNDR MOON-der
MUNINN MOON-in
MUSPELL MOO-spel
MUSPELLHEIM MOOS-pehl-haym
NAGLFAR NAHG’L-fahr
NIDAVELLIR Nee-duh-vehl-EER
NIDHOGG NEED-hawg
NIFLHEIM NIHF-uh-haym
NØKK NAWK
NORNS NOHRRNZ
NORUMBEGA nohrr-uhm-BAY-guh
ODIN OH-dihn
OSTARA OH-starr-ah
OTHALA OH-thal-ah
PERTHRO PERR-thrroh
RAGNAROK RAG-nuh-rrawk
RAN RAN
RATATOSK RAT-uh-tawsk
SAEHRIMNIR SAY-h’rrihm-neer
SAMIRAH AL-ABBAS sah-MEER-ah ahl-AH-bahss
SIF SEEV
SLEIPNIR SLAYP-neer
SUMARBRANDER SOO-marr-brrand-der
THINGVELLIR THING-vih-leer
THURISAZ THOORR-ee-sahts
THOR THORE
THRYM THRRIMM
THRYNGA THRRIN-gah
TIWAZ TEE-vahz
TYR TEAR
ULLER OO-lir
URNES OORR-nis
URUZ OOR-oots
UTGARD-Loki OOT-gahrrd-LOH-kee
VALA VAL-uh
VALHALLA Val-HAHL-uh
VALKYRIE VAL-kerr-ee
VANAHEIM VAN-uh-haym
VANIR Vah-NEER
VIDAR VEE-dar
WERGILD WIR-gild
WIGHT WHITE
YGGDRASIL IHG-druh-sihl
THE NINE WORLDS
ASGARD—the home of the Aesir
VANAHEIM—the home of the Vanir
ALFHEIM—the home of the light elves
MIDGARD—the home of humans
JOTUNHEIM—the home of the giants
NIDAVELLIR—the home of the dwarves
NIFLHEIM—the world of ice, fog, and mist
MUSPELLHEIM—the home of the fire giants and demons
HELHEIM—the home of Hel and the dishonorable dead
RUNES (IN ORDER OF MENTION)
FEHU—the rune of Frey
OTHALA—inheritance
DAGAZ—new beginnings, transformations
URUZ—ox
GEBO—gift
PERTHRO—the empty cup
THURISAZ—the rune of Thor
HAGALAZ—hail
EHWAZ—horse, transportation
ISA—ice