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Norse gods and goddesses are not immortal - the threads of their "destiny" (for lack of a better word) and ours, have been spun by the Norns.

Even the great Thor is destined to die one day (at Ragnarok).

2007-09-18 06:33:59 · answer #1 · answered by wee falorie man 6 · 1 2

In Norse mythology "immortality" means to never die of natural causes or to grow old.
Accidental or violent death was another matter. E.g. the story of the god Bragi killed by the mistletoe, and the armaggedon of Ragnarok.

Different mythologies-religions had different concepts of divine immortality. The Greek gods for example were truly immortal, in that they could be wounded but never killed. E.g. even the Titans had to be physically imprisoned at the end of the war with the gods -- since there could be no casualties in a war of immortals.

Egyptian mythology is somewhere in between -- when Set killed Osiris he scattered his limbs, so the god could not be resurrected. Because Isis could not fully restore him, he was confined to the Underworld, but still as a god, rather than a ghost.

I don't know what happened to the dead Norse gods. Resurrected in some otherworld Eden after Ragnarok?

2007-09-19 02:01:16 · answer #2 · answered by Thalia 7 · 0 0

None of the Norse deities are immortal. The have extremely long lifepsans that are so immeasurable long that they will live till the time of RagnarokR. They are kept young by the Golden apples of the Goddess Idunn that they eat to retain their youth and vigor. The can, however be injured or killed even as can mortal men, although the effort is far beyond that of mortal men to accomoplish. For example Odin is missing an Eye and Try had his right hand bitten off by the Fenrir the wolf, and Baldur was killed by a sprig of Mistletoe.

That being said, it IS possible for the Norse gods to die and many are prophesized to do so at RagnarokR.

2007-09-21 10:56:36 · answer #3 · answered by kveldulf_gondlir 6 · 0 0

None of the Nordic gods are immortal, however they do ward off old age by eating golden apples (the tree that produced them was tended by Idun, and only she could give the apples to someone). It is quite possible for the gods to die, a human could even manage it (except that the gods were far more powerful than a human, so it was really a moot point).

Similarly, the Greek gods weren't 100% immortal. Their immortality was because they had ichors instead of blood (which came from never eating bread but consuming only nectar and ambrosia).

2007-09-18 06:46:46 · answer #4 · answered by Thought 6 · 5 1

dark_hellbent_king2: no

Sal D: no, since our gods/goddesses were NOT immortal and they KNEW this, anyone/thing could have killed them. The mistletoe sprig that Hod threw while guided by Loki's hand would have killed him if ANYONE threw it. It was the only thing Frigga did not get an oath from to not harm Baldr.

Garrick:"Thor is immortal, in a sense of the word."

No he is not, NONE of them are, refer to the Theft of Iduns Apples, without them they began to age, become weaker and eventually would have died, they all but save a few died at ragnarok so that right there tells you they were not immortal.

"It can that you can live forever, barring intervention, or it can mean that you don't die, period."

say what??

"-Fenrir's acid finally melts his chains enough for him to break them"

Where the hel did you get THIS from???? Fenris didn't drip acid.

The Devil: Gods never age and die

ours can/did and do

Thalia:
In Norse mythology "immortality" means to never die of natural causes or to grow old.

Ummmm.....they COULD and at one point DID grow old, see above reference

"Accidental or violent death was another matter. E.g. the story of the god Bragi killed by the mistletoe, and the armaggedon of Ragnarok."

Accidental? and it was Baldr, NOT Bragi, baldr death was ANYTHING but accidental, and violent death???? find me a death that in one shape or another isn't......

I don't know what happened to the dead Norse gods. Resurrected in some otherworld Eden after Ragnarok?

no, the ones that died are dead, that's that.

Thought:(the tree that produced them was tended by Idun, and only she could give the apples to someone).

Idunna was responsible for the care of them, I do not believe it states anywhere that it was only her that could give them out.

2007-09-19 02:14:46 · answer #5 · answered by Thrudheim 3 · 1 0

Thor is immortal, in a sense of the word. It can that you can live forever, barring intervention, or it can mean that you don't die, period.

Heres how ragnarok goes down, in regards to thor
Relevant things preceding Ragnarok:
-Fimbulwinter
-Fenrir's acid finally melts his chains enough for him to break them
-Jörmungandr comes out of the sea on to land
-Earthquakes, Fenrir stretches mouth from ground to the top of the sky

How things go down during Ragnarok, as relevant to topic:
-Odin and Thor move to attack Fenrir, but as they do so, Thor gets intercepted by Jörmungandr.

-Odin puts up a good fight with Gungnir, but gets eaten anyways.
-Thor kills Jörmungandr with his hammer, gets sprayed by Jörmungandr's poison, staggers back 9 steps, and dies.
-Earth sinks into sea

However, Thor's two sons live through ragnarok

2007-09-18 12:10:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1 1

Gods never age and die, which we call immortal but they can be killed, it takes something with incredible power.

2007-09-18 21:38:26 · answer #7 · answered by Kaiva 3 · 0 0

They are not immortal. Not in the sense you are thinking. Otherwise Baldr wouldn't be dead either. Hence dying at Ragnarok.
Read the Voluspo of the Poetic Eddas. Tells you who's dying by who.

2007-09-18 12:31:02 · answer #8 · answered by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 · 1 1

None of the Norse Gods are immortal

2007-09-18 07:54:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1 3

Because only another god or a god creature can kill another god, the Midgaard serpent is so powerful that even the gods dread going near it, Thor kills the Midgaard serpent when Ragnarok comes around he himself will be killed by the poison from the serpent.

2007-09-18 06:20:57 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 5

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