Surely you've heard of Odin , Thor or Loki , great gods of Nordic mythology. Some of his adventures will have reached your ears, but surely you do not know everything about it. Without going any further, do you know what was his residence? The answer is very simple, the kingdom of Asgard .
In this article you will be able to know all the curiosities of the residence of the gods in the Nordic countries and the similar worlds in other civilizations. Join us on this trip and you will discover the kingdom of Asgard in detail. Know everything about him!
Kingdom of Asgard | 10 Curiosities of this mythical Nordic world
1. The meaning of the word Asgard in Old Norse is literally the "Enclosure of the Æsir" . And now you will ask, who were the Æsir? Well, for the Nordics were the main gods of his mythology. Extrapolating this situation to other mythologies such as the Greek one, Asgard would be the pantheon of the most important gods for the Greeks.
2. Valhalla is located within the kingdom of Asgard, one of the most fantastic places in all mythologies. According to the legend, It is a huge and majestic hall where the best warriors rest in peace personally selected by Odin himself. The men who go to Valhalla are escorted by the Valkyries, who are the warriors who act as personal guard of the supreme Nordic god.
3. Asgard is only a part or kingdom of what the ancient Norsemen would call Yggdrasill, which was a perennial ash Thanks to its branches, it kept all the worlds united. It was, to put an easy comparison, like the tree of life for the Nordic inhabitants of antiquity.
4. One of the most fascinating legends of the kingdom of Asgard, comes at the time of its construction or better said reconstruction. To redo the walls of the reign the gods counted on the help of a giant , who wanted the Moon and the Sun in exchange for your help. To avoid this, they had to go to Loki to distract the giant and prevent him from fulfilling his assignment in time.
5. The first references that we could obtain from the kingdom of Asgard, come from a collection of the XIII century called Prosaic Edda which is a kind of poetic manual in which most of the mythological stories that were known from ancestral times are compiled.
6. The location of the kingdom of Asgard differs depending on the version we read and the time it was made. In a first vision, it was said that this wonderful kingdom full of gold was in full center of the land . After other versions, they shared that he was on planet Earth, but that there was a rainbow bridge that connected him to Paradise.
7 Everything changed when Christianity arrived to the populations of the North, since the Asgardian legends were retouched due to the increasingly powerful irruption of this religion. In fact, as Asgard Christianity settled, it gradually disappeared from popular culture.
8. In the kingdom of Asgard, always according to Norse mythology, we can find several groups or clans of gods: Aesir, Vanir and Jotun . Between the first two there was a lot of cordiality and the interactions were very kind, even going to celebrate marriages between them. However, the third clan was associated with evil because they were giants or titans who always sought the confrontation with the aesir or vanir.
9. A curious fact, is in the kingdom of Asgard had two separate rooms depending on the gender of the gods. Thus, there was a stay for the Glaðsheimr or male gods and another for the Vingólf or female gods. In our times, this may seem shocking, but in the age of Nordic legends it was totally normal.
10. In Nordic mythology it was also contemplated, as in many others, an apocalyptic end of the known world that entailed the destruction of the kingdom of Asgard. It is said that after this great war, the Aesir will return from the realm of the dead to the place where their dwelling was and they will raise it from its ashes more brilliantly to the previous era. The end of the world to which we refer, is known as the Ragnarök .
As you may have noticed after reading this article and the rest of those who talk about this fascinating mythology, Asgard was a wonderful kingdom in which the gods coexisted keeping the world of men from any external threat. Despite resembling some kingdoms of other mythologies, Asgard has some brushstrokes that make it much more special. Now, as we always remind you, we would love that in addition to reading us you left us your opinion on the topic that we raised. Do not hesitate to leave us your comments and discover also Midgard !