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According to the Norse Sagas they had been at war with the Aesir in the past and exchanged hostages in order to keep the peace intact. Vanaheim was home to the tribe of Norse Gods known as the Vanir.
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These slain warriors were known as Einherjar.īifrost between Asgard and Midgard - Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold, directed by Otto Schenk, 1990 3. The realm of Asgard was also the home of Valhalla, a great hall where worthy Viking warriors who died in battle would go and wait to be called to fight at Ragnarok. It was from his throne, Hildskjalf, in this great city that Odin could see all of the 9 realms. This bridge was operated by Heimdall, and allowed for inter-world travel by the Gods.Īsgard was described in the Prose Edda as a great city with many towers and high walls. It was connected to the aforementioned Midgard (the world of men) by a rainbow bridge known as the Bifrost. Asgard was the home of the Aesir and was vaguely described in the sagas as being located somewhere in the sky. In Norse mythology Gods including Odin, Thor, Loki, Frigg and Heimdall, amongst others were all part of the most prominent tribe of Norse Gods known as the Aesir. The earth was also referred to as Midgard in one famous Old English poem known as Beowulf. It was said that he would rise up from the oceans and cause huge waves to wash ashore bringing great destruction and wreaking havoc upon humanity. His arch-nemesis, the giant serpent Jormungandr, was sometimes called the 'Midgard Serpent' or the 'World Serpent', due to his role in encircling the oceans of the world. In norse sagas the god of thunder, Thor, was said to be the protector of Midgard. This was said to be the only one of the nine realms which was fully located in the visible world. The story says that the three brothers made the first man and woman, Ash and Elmba, from the ashes of an elm tree. These two then went on to populate the world and give birth to the rest of mankind. It was created by Odin and his two brothers from the body of the giant Ymir, and was the made to be the realm of men. Midgard translates from Old Norse to "middle enclosure".