Asgard - Home Of The Aesir - 9th Part

This is the last part of Asgard (finally) and the places of great importance.

Breidablik

The hall of  the deities Baldr/Baldur and of Nanna his wife, was called Breidablik and it was given to them as a wedding gift. As you know, Baldr was killed and Nanna comited suicide after this tragic event, as such the goddess Frigga sealed all the entrances to the Hall so it might stay as it was by the time Baldr and Nanna lived there. No one is allowed to enter it and it is guarded to keep away anyone who tries to go in.

Landvidi

This is the hall of the god Vidar, which is one of the Norse deities that is seldom heard. Landvidi is where he lives with his mother called Grid. She is one of Odin's lovers, it was she who gave Thor his magical iron gloves and his famous belt of strength. Like some of the halls in Asgard, the name Landvidi also refers to the land around the Hall. A place with deep green woods, tall trees with permanent leaves the entire year and vast fields with tall grass.

Glitnir

The hall of Forseti the god of justice is called Glitnir. This hall is seen from a great distance, not because it is a large hall, but because the roof as the color of silver and it shines like a lighthouse, the porch pillars are made out of gold with beautiful carvings. Forseti is the son of Baldr and Nanna and he is the god of not only justice but also laws, arbitration, judgment, oaths, honor and alliances. If there is any kind of conflict, or law breaking or anyother thing concerning such subjects, the problems are brought to his hall, because it is here that peaceful solutions can be arranged to avoid bloodshed.
Every kind of problem that is fit to have judgement, can be presented in the court of Forseti's hall, even if it is a grievance between a mortal and a deity.

Brimir

In Asgard there is a land called Gimle which has a large lake, and right at the center of the lake there is an island called Okolnir which has a hall called Brimir. This hall might seem empty, but in it lives the giant with the same name of the hall, who won the land in a game of chance with Odin. It was Brimir who built the hall after he won the land, or at least the island.

Gimle

 As mentioned above, in the land called Gimle, there is also an Hall with the same name. It is devoided of any denizens.

Isle of Counsel

The name of this island is unknown, at least for me, but this place lies where the Thund Thvitr river meets the ocean. In the small island lives a mortal man (or once mortal) called Hildolf, who has his own hall in this island. For some reason, many of the Einherjar come here to visit him, so he must be a man of great importance, and to own a hall in Asgard, he must really be of great importance to Odin himself.

Urdabrunnr 

Beyond the forests of Ydalir and passing the small mountain range, there lies a great mountain which is in fact one of the roots of Yggdrasil, covered with small trees which are actually the sprouts of the root, this creates a large grove.
Below the curve of the great root, lies Urdabrunnr, the well of fate. A large spring with bubbling water which feeds the root of the world tree. Near the well its keepers live there and guard it, the Norns.
Beyond the great root and the spring there is a small hall called The Hall of Fate. No one has ever got in, only those who work with the Norns.

Asgard Home of the Aesir (6th Part)

This is the 6th part of Asgard and the continuation of the places of renown and great importance that lie in the realm of the Aesir tribe of gods.

Vingolf

There is another hall that few know about it, since all the other most known halls in the norse mythology have somehow placed the others in the shade. One of these "not-so-famous" halls is Vingolf, which at first was aquired by Odin because Valhalla was filled with Einherjar and another hall was needed to place the overflowing warriors. But Valhalla isn't yet filled because of various reasons that I have written in the previous posts.

Vingolf became the property of the Aesir goddesses, they claimed it of their own and it is now a haven for the female Aesir. Of course that men can visit this hall, however, it is filled with that feminine touch, but it is quite beautiful and its gardens are pleasent to look upon. This hall was built in a beautiful land filled with hot springs around the hall itself, and there is also a small hall built in the center of the hot springs which serves as a healing house.

Bilskirnir

The largest hall in Asgard and one of the largest single-owner hall in all the nine worlds, is Thor's hall called Bilskirnir. This single hall is larger than Valhalla and all the houses around it, including the walls. Bilskirnir is the equivalent of a small city. This hall has six hundred and forty rooms, not only filled with people from Valhalla but also with those who died in battle and were sworn to Thor. In it Thor's guests also live there for a while, the servants of Thor and also Sif's servants, even Loki dwelt there for a time. The walls of this huge hall are made of brick and stone and all the rooms are high-ceilinged and each room has windows that are constantly open to let the air in, even when it is raining.

Unlike what we are used to hear or see about Thor in out modern world prespective, Thor is the champion of Asgard, he is the god of the common people such as farmers, he is the protector of mankind and often wanders in the world of mortals and has mortals as guests in his own hall. Thor isn't blond, he is red-haired and has a red-beard.

In this great hall also lives Meile, which most don't know who this figure is, and in truth he doesn't want to be known or be famous, but he is one of Thor's younger brothers who seldom is at Bilskirnir, but can be found there once in a while.

There are two other denizens of this great hall, two other of great renown a part from Sif herself, the wife of Thor. These two are Roskva and Thjalfi or Thjalfr. They are the children of Egil Skytten, the midgard mortal, it is said that he had an affair with Groa, the giant sorceress wife of Aurvandil who is the first husband of Sif, and together they had a son, the god Ullr. So it is said that Roskva and Thjalfi are the sons of Egil the mortal and of Groa, which makes them Half-human.
There are many talls of how Roskva and Thjalfi came to live with Thor, the most heard one (summarizing) is that when Thor and Loki were traveling together, they came to a farm where they found this human family with two children. They all sat and had dinner together, they ate one of Thor's goats but all had been warned not to break any bones. The children did it and as a payment for their disobedience, Thor took them to his hall to work there.
Another tale, not so often heard, is that Groa and Aurvandil were good friends of Thor and after raising the two children, they sent them to be fostered at Bilskirnir. Thjalfi became Thor's page, accompanying him in many journeys.
Thjalfi is also the messenger of Bilskirnir and a guide for those who are wandering about Asgard and lost. Roskva helps in Bilskirnir and she is also a guide there, for this great hall is a confusing labyrinth.

Behind Thor's hall there is a small hall (small compared with Bilskirnir itself) that belongs to Thor's daughter Thrud, the sister of Magni and Modi. The land where Thor's hall was built is called Thrudheim, in honor of Thor's daughter and to show the love and pride he has for her.


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Asgard - Home Of The Aesir - 3rd Part ( Valhalla )

Following the previous post, I will continue with the sites of greatest importance in Asgard.

Let's start with Valhalla.

Valhalla is the most famous place of all the Nine worlds and the Norse history, everyone has heard about it at least once, nowadays it became even more famous with movies, music and games. But do people really know what Valhalla really is?

Valhalla is the home of the Einherjar, the warriors who fall in battles and are chosen by Odin. Valhalla is both the fortified town and the great hall. The hall is made of giant wooden spear-shafts and the roof covered with many colored battle shields. Near the western entrance a carved figure of a wolf is "guarding" the door, and the eastern side it is the figure of an eagle.
Inside the Hall there are at least five hundred and forty doors (this is one of the biggest halls of all of Asgard) and of course, behind each of these doors are rooms for eight hundred warriors. Strangely enough, Valhalla (the hall) isn't full, but it has enough people to form a small city.

Valhalla isn't just a place for warriors, not is it just a place to fight and learn how to fight, and prepare for battles and such things. Valhalla is also a place of learning, it also has a great library, places for spiritual purposes, leisure, the inner chamber for the feasts etc. thing of it as a great university.

Valhalla is not for the faint hearted, for the lazy or for the weak minded and are used to have an easy life, however, even those might enter to become better individuals, expand knowledge, grow spiritually and mentally, but this does not mean that they are able to remain there for a long time, or in some cases, by the time they are set to stay. All those who enter there are chosen by Odin.

It is true that on the roof of Valhalla an enormous goat and a great stag wander around grazing on the thatched roof. The goats name is Heidrun and she is milked twice daily. The stag is named Eikthrynir, as the name suggests, it is old norse for "Oak thorn", along with his companion, the goat, they nibble the bark of the enormous tree that grows beside the roof. This tree also has a name, Laerad they call it, and it is a sapling of the world tree Yggdrasil.

The main route into the hall is through the great double doors, but they are heavily guarded of course. There is a back way into Valhalla an it is through the kitchen, where the cook Andhrimmer works.
 Andhrimmer has a giant magical kettle,  named Eldhrimmer, in which he cooks the stew for the million starving warriors upstairs. The myth tells us of one enormous resurrecting boar, Saehrimmer, which is slaughtered every night for the feast and revived again the next morning with no memory of what happened.

Odin's Valkyries work in the hall. All of them are tall and strong, fierce, they are referred to as shield-maidens. They can change into various birds such as ravens and swans, usually dressed in armor when on duty, being one of their first duties the picking up of anyone fallen in battle that Odin feels that it may be the appropriate character to enter Valhalla, a person worthy to be part of his troops. The Valkyries may have a human appearance, but they aren't humans, far from it.

The Valkyries who are in charge of making sure that the Einherjar get fed are named Herfjotur, Goll, Geirahod, Geirdriful, Geirolu, Geirromul, Geirrondul, Geirskigull, Geiravor, and Skeggjold. Two more, Hrist and Mist, are Odin's personal dinner-servants and serve only him. The three most important Valkyries are Gondul, Hildr, and Skogul, who are in charge of deciding which warriors is taken on to the battlefield. The three of them tend not to ride straight onto the field, they are generals who watch from the sky. They are mistresses of war and magic, and can be invoked for aid and to teach battle-galdr. They will only teach those who are sworn to Odin, unless he instructs them to teach someone else. One may also encounter human women who are claimed by Odin as his Valkyries and who occasionally visit Valhalla as well.

 There are other Valkyries that we know of , they are so called Halmthrimull, Herja, Hervor, Hildeberg, Hjorthrimul, Holukk, Hrund, Kara, Kreimhildr, Olrun, Ragridr, Rangnid, Reginleif, Sanngridr, Sigrdrifa, Sigrun, Skamold, Svava, Svanhvit, Sveid, Svipull, Tanngnidr, Thogn, and Thrima. Eir occasionally rides with the valkyries as well, though her function seems to be that of a battlefield healer, she may bring a merciful death to some of the fallen.

Valhalla is the home of Odin, however he isn't there all the time but visits it often. When he enters Valhalla, his spear, Gungnir, is hung over the outside doorway as a sign that he is within.

During the Yule, it is from Asgard that the Asgardsreia beings and people who visit Valhalla during this time might get the chance to see it or even participate in it. This festival is the wild hunt, various deities also participate in it, wights, some of the Einherjar, other spirits and so on.

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