What kind of religion did the Nordic people/Vikings have?

Question

All I know is that Thor is the god of Thunder

Answer 1

Their religion was what is known as polytheistic, or pantheonistic meaning that the Vikings followed a variety of deities. Yes Thor was one of them. Odin was the chief of the gods. Thor, the god of thunder and storms. Loki the god of Mischief. Hella ruled the underworld. There were two main families of gods The Aesir and the Vanir. And there were many others. They were what we would in modern times classify as Pagan.

There are a number of groups in the modern world that are dedicated to the worship of those gods an goddesses, I myself am an ordained priest of Odin.

Here are a few of the basic principles of the religious beliefs of the religion dedicated to thos gods which in the modern world is known as Ásatrú. The term means Trust in the gods.

NINE NOBLE VIRTUES:


COURAGE is the bravery to do what is right at all times with no regard to possible consequences or repercussions.

TRUTH it the willingness to say what is honest and right at all times.

HONOR is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being.

FIDELITY is the will to be loyal to one's gods and goddesses, to one's folk and to one's self.

DISCIPLINE is the willingness to be hard with one's self first, and then if need be with others, in order that greater purposes can be achieved.

HOSPITALITY is the willingness to share what one has with one's fellows, especially when they are far from home.

INDUSTRIOUSNESS is the willingness to work hard--always striving for efficiency--as a joyous activity in and of itself.

SELF-RELIANCE is the spirit of independence which is achieved not only for the individual, but also for the family, clan, tribe and nation.

PERSEVERANCE is the spirit of stick-to-it-iveness that can always bring one back from defeat or failure--each time we fail, we recognize failure for what it is and, if the purpose is true and good, we persevere until success is won.


SIX-FOLD GOAL:

RIGHT is ruled over by Tyr. It is the justice of law shaped by the lore of our folk and meted out with good judgment and true by those who can see the truth. This is a goal rationally sought and rationally administered--the rule of rationality and enlightenment in the world. From this our desire to see a world ruled rationally is derived.

WISDOM is watched over by Odin. This is the hidden lore and powers welling up from the darkest depths of our souls and hovering high over our heads, shining beyond the clouds, and leading us into the unknown. This is the mysterious force that has the ability to hold all things together, ruled by those who can see and understand the whole. Above all, wisdom must be preserved, for in it are the wells of all memory; if it and only it survives, all other parts of the whole may be regenerated. From this is derived our sense of adventure, our curiosity about the unknown, our seeking and questioning character.

MIGHT is wielded by Thor. In might is embodied the two-fold goal of victory and defense, which both depend on pure power or might for their ultimate right. Without this pivotal goal, all others will fall into decay and be overcome by things outside the truth--as indeed they have been. But might must be ruled over by right and wisdom, and must serve the purposes of harvest and frith. There is worth of might in and of itself, however, in the bodily expressions of power is found the joy of victory which can act as a balm on the soul of the warrior. The goal of conquest and exercise of might can be turned without or within the true man or woman--but it must find expression. From this is derived our hunger for conquests, big and small, and our great will to power.

HARVEST is holy to the Vanir. This is the reaping of the things of the good cycles of nature, which ensures that the folk continues to flourish in the world, that the livestock abound in good health, and that the seed is rightly planted, cut and threshed. Harvest is the overriding need for organic continuance--for the continuance of organic life. Harvest here includes all of the fruits of economic cycles. It is the goodness of plenty, o wealth, and physical well-being. Today our society and our desire for abundance and wealth is dominated by this value system.

FRITH is ruled by Frey and Freyja. Frith is our own word for "peace." Frith is the true state of "peace" wherein all parts of the Six-Fold Goal are successfully pursued and attained by a society. In frith is true freedom, for frith is the essence of freedom, the state in which self-directed, self-willed growth and development can take place. Frith usually implies an absence of war but not of struggle or conflict, which must always be present on some level when true growth is taking place. In frith we do not stand still; in frith we learn how to take our fights to ever higher fields. Right/Might/Frith form a powerful axis. Might provides the protection frith needs to promote freedom, but might must be ruled by right to protect frith from ungoverned might. From frith comes our almost universal desire for "peace" but if we misunderstand what this means, we can bring ourselves not "peace" but stagnation and death.

LOVE is the law of life and is embodied in Frey and Freya, the "Lord and Lady". This is the pure powerful love, or the "lust" of eroticism. In it is our sense of play and pure pleasure. The stem word from which "love" is derived really has to do with the enjoyment of (physical) pleasure. That we all seek this as a goal is natural and good, but it is not without its non-natural or "spiritual" sides, to be sure. In seeking pleasure, we show and more importantly experience an unbridled lust for life itself. This deep well of desire acts from below much the way wisdom does from above; in fact, there is a secret bond between them. Wisdom and love hold the six goals together.

Answer 2

The Nordic religion is one that is based around nature and war.

There are a lot of gods, but the main ones are,

Odin/Oden: the god of war, magic, wisdom
Thor: the god of thunder
Loki: the god of mischief

The religion is based on the world or universe tree. At the bottom of the tree is Hel and at the top there is Val Halla, the hall of the warriors and gods. The tree also represents all levels of society, it includes the humans, gods, dwarves, and elves.

What the Vikings believed was that they had to be strong and courageous warriors to ascend to be taken up to Val Halla by Odin. When they reached Val Halla they would await the final battle (Ragnarok) where they would fight alongside Odin and the gods against the forces of Loki.

Answer 3

Their belief system was structured on warrior god/kings. At the top of the hierarchy was Odin, chief god of battles and poetry. Thor was the god of thunder and Freya was the goddess of plenty or harvert. Unfortunately, since the Norse legends were handed down orally, we don't have a complete canon.

Answer 4

They had 2 main families of Gods, The Asir and the Vanir (check my spelling of those!!!) It was a Northern European Pantheon very much like the Germanic dieties that the names of the week are derived from...

Answer 5

Their gods were called the Aesir. Basically they were pagans.

Answer 6

Norse Mythology. you can google and find out the information you desire

Answer 7

sun and moon