Face it — Norse mythology is more intense, more shadowy and frightening than Greek Mythology. Jungian writers utilize Greek Myths all the time — but I have found almost no references to Jungian views about Norse mythology. (Please contact me if you know of any).
Maybe Jungian writers are scared of the North? It is easy to philosophize and have happy stories if you are living on a Greek Island, with sunshine and plenty of fish to eat. It is another thing to philosophize when it is dark and cold much of the year and the environment is usually trying to kill you.
I’ve lived Alaska for over thirty years now (winters here are an acquired taste). I find the myths of the North much closer to home (literally and figuratively, of course.). One of the best aspects of living in the North is how close one is to the archetypal worlds — the worlds of Cold and Dark, the worlds of Volcanoes and Glaciers, the worlds of Grizzly Bears and Salmon.
It is no surprise to me that the Norse Myths are full of immense and overwhelming forces, full of darkness and death, yet spiritual and soulful at the same time. One goes Berserk in the winter here; every winter feels like the world is going to end in darkness.
Before Ragnorak, the apocalypse at the end of the world, are three winters that never end. Yup. It is December in Northern Alaska, it is getting darker and colder by the day, and Ragnorak seems very close.
The Poet Edda Index
The Poetic Eddas are the oral literature of Iceland, which were finally written down from 1000 to 1300 C.E. Excellent site on the source of many of the Norse myths — Wagner’s operas, the Lord of the Rings, and many other works are based on the Poetic Eddas.
Encyclopedia Mythica
145 Well written, concise articles about Norse Mythology. No images, but good writing.
Teutonic Myths and Legends
Donald McKenzie’s 1912 re-telling of Norse myths. Easy, fun reading
Hurstvic
Good summary of Norse Mythology, extensive website on Northern Europe during the Viking Age.
Norse-Mythology.com
Good basic website on Norse mythology; lots of images (though most could be larger or at least sourced)
Norse Mythology:In the Beginning there was Cold and Heat
Produced the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (!) of Norway
God-checker.com
A fun, well-written, informative web-site that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Fenrir (forum comment)
Thoughtful article on Fenrir and other aspects of Norse mythology, with a quote from Jung(!) at the end:
“Only the man who is modern in our meaning of the term really lives in the present [i.e. he that has freed himself from the unconscious influence of the Aeon]; he alone has present day consciousness, and he alone finds that the ways of life which correspond to earlier levels pull upon him. The values and strivings of those past worlds no longer interest him save from the historical standpoint. Thus he has become “unhistorical” in the deepest sense and has estranged himself from the mass of men who live entirely in the bounds of tradition. Indeed, he is completely modern only when he has come to the very edge of the world, leaving behind him all that has been discarded and outgrown, and acknowledging that he stands before a void out of which all things may grow.” (Modern Man in Search of a Soul)
Wikipedia: Norse Mythology
I am continually surprised how thorough and useful Wikipedia is. Type in your favorite Norse character, and voila (Valhalla)?
