Let’s find out more about Norse mythology, and the legacy the Vikings left behind in our language…Intrigued?

You might think you don’t know much about the mythology of the Vikings . . . but you probably mention their gods everyday, without even knowing!

Mythology

Norse

Keep Clicking

© www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2015 25216 1

JRR Tolkein set his Lord of the Rings series in ‘Middle Earth’.

Do you recognize this name? Click to find out which author used it in his famous

stories!

The Vikings believed in a number of different gods.

They called our human world ‘Midgard’, meaning Middle Earth.

A rainbow bridge reached Between the two worlds.

The Vikings thought that their gods lived in a sky world named ‘Asgard’.

Keep Clicking

© www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2015 25216 2

Odin was the god of poetry, music and war.

He gouged out one of his own eyes in exchange for a drink from the well of wisdom.

That’s right… Sleipnir has eight legs!Look carefully at the picture… What is special about Sleipnir?

Meet Odin

YUCK!

Sometimes known as ‘Odin the Furious’, Odin was the leader of the Norse gods. He rode on a horse named Sleipnir.

Odin also ruled over Valhalla, an enormous and majestic hall. Dead Viking warriors would be brought here to feast alongside the gods.

In Old English, Odin was called ‘Woden’. Can you work out which day of the week was named after him?

Keep Clicking

© www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2015 25216 3

Meet ThorThor was Odin’s son, and the god of thunder and protection.

He carried an enchanted hammer that had the power to crush mountains, and wore a magical belt that doubled his strength.

He rode in a chariot pulled by two goats.

Thor’s most famous battles were those he waged with the monster serpent, Jörmungandr.

Which day of the week do you think is named after Thor? Keep Clicking

© www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2015 25216 4

Meet FriggFrigg was Odin’s wife, and was the goddess of love, marriage and destiny.

What do you think ‘destiny’ means?

Frigg was also associated with spinning and weaving. Some people thought she spun the clouds, while others thought that she wove the threads of people’s lives together.

In Sweden, the belt in the constellation Orion is named after her. The Swedish call it ‘Friggerock’, meaning ‘Frigg’s spindle’.What do you think a spindle is?

Yes, you’ve guessed it… Frigg has a weekday named after her, too! Can you work out what it is?

John Charles Dollman - Guerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline) (1909). Myths of the Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas. London : Harrap. This illustration facing page 42. Image in the public domain.

Keep Clicking

© www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2015 25216 5

John Charles Dollman - Guerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline) (1909). Myths of the Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas. London : Harrap. This illusstration facing page 176. Image in the public domain.

Meet the ValkyriesThe Valkyries were female spirits. They helped Odin select which of the slain Viking warriors would be carried over the rainbow bridge to join the gods in Valhalla.

Valkyries were said to be able to take the form of a swan by putting on a cloak made of swan feathers.

Freyja, another Norse goddess, has a cloak of falcon feathers which allows her to take the shape of a falcon. She lends this cloak to Thor so that he can search for his lost hammer.

Why do you think it would have been an advantage for the Norse gods and goddesses to transform into birds?

Keep Clicking

© www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2015 25216 6

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Charles_Dollman

Questions to ponder..If you were a Norse god or goddess, what would your magical object be? What powers would it have?

What animal would you choose to transform into, and why?

What legacy do you think Viking mythology left for us?

© www.teachitprimary.co.uk 2015 25216 7

Slide Number 1Slide Number 2Slide Number 3Slide Number 4Slide Number 5Slide Number 6Slide Number 7