The Norse World 

by Christina Calvit

"Actually, what I write is the need to create a new mythology for humanity. The old mythology is that it’s a dog-eat-dog world, us-versus-them — that we’re warlike. Power dynamics underline our dominant mythology. We need to envision a new mythology to move forward. Because we have also had diverse groups come together to build beautiful societies. We have lived in harmony with nature. We have those capabilities and if we only believe humanity is a bunch of apes seeking power and beating each other down, then we’ll never move forward. We need to tell this other story of humanity."

Rainn Wilson, on his new book, “Soul Boom: Why We Need A Spiritual Revolution”

 from a Chicago Tribune interview with Christopher Borrelli

The Trickster In World Mythology

The trickster figure is an archetype that spreads across various cultures. Loki from Norse mythology, the Raven from Native American myth, Anansi from West Africa, Hermes from the Greek, Susanoo from Japan—all these figures manifest the traits of an ambiguous and eccentric personality, deceit, and shapeshifting, among others.

Tricksters are clever, funny and break cultural taboos. They often alternate between male and female, human and animal, and have little reverence for the status quo. They create chaos to break down the old order. They are not always as successful at building worlds back up, however. And they often fall prey to their own cleverness, getting themselves into and out of impossible situations. 

With their single minded focus on crossing and altering boundaries, trickster characters seem relevant in today’s world. They aren’t just a part of ancient religions (think of Cat in the Hat!)

As a chaotic and disorderly character, a trickster acts out many human urges and desires that people living in communities think they must control to maintain social order. But ultimately, things must be broken down to be built back better. And the trickster is always up for the challenge. 

The Edda

What we know about Norse mythology comes from the Edda, an old Norse term that has been applied by modern scholars to the collective of two Medieval Icelandic literary works: the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. Both works were collected/translated by Snorri Sturlson, an Icelandic poet, politician and historian. He was fascinated by the original oral works from the Viking Age and wanted to preserve them. The Edda has been criticized for imposing Snorri's own Christian views on Norse mythology—in particular the clean-cut explanation of what happens to a soul after death that contradicts other sources on death in Norse myth. But the Edda is surprisingly modern—funny, poetic and profane. In one hilariously inappropriate section, Loki’s Flyting (Loki’s Verbal Duel—like a rap battle for Vikings) Loki insults all the gods, calling their honor and manhood into question. He then calls Freya and the other goddesses whores. He’s vicious, but he definitely has names, dates and places! After telling the assembly that Freya slept with her own brother, he lands the ultimate insult—after Freya was caught in incest, she farted! Loki’s truth-telling accusations range from reports of water sports to murder to gender-bending sexual encounters. Asgard rarely denies his allegations. 

The legend of Freya

From the old Norse “The Lady”, Freya is most commonly associated with love, beauty and fertility. Freyja is the owner of the famous necklace “Brisingamen” and rides a chariot pulled by two cats. She is also the possessor of ancient knowledge and powerful magics.

In more recent times, scholars have connected her to the Valkyries, female battlefield choosers of the slain, and analyzed her relation to other goddesses and figures in Germanic mythology, including the thrice-burnt and thrice-reborn Gullveig. Modern interpretations often depict her as a fierce warrior—but Vikings would have been more comfortable with her softer side.