Investigating Viking mythologyWhen the Vikings invaded Britain, they had their own pagan religion. They worshipped many gods. The old stories they told about gods, giants and monsters are known as Norse myths. In one story, Thor, the god of thunder, tries to prove his strength to the Giant King by attempting to lift a giant cat. But he could only lift one of its paws! Norse (Viking) mythical stories begin with the creation of the world and end with the great battle of Ragnarok. The time leading up to this final battle is one of constant spiritual conflict.

The stories are of gods, goddesses, giants, light elves (who live in the sky or bright places), dark elves (who live in caves or gloomy forests), dwarves and beasts. These mythical creatures live in a number of realms that make up the heavens, the earth itself, and the regions of the dead below.

Many of the gods and goddesses were related, and all were responsible for some aspect(s) of life on earth. For example:

• Bragi was the god of poetry• Hel was the goddess of the dead• Ran was the god of sea worms• Try was the god of war• Idun was the goddess of youth.

Other mythical creatures included the Norns: three female spirits who decided the fate of all who lived in the world. There were also warrior women called Valkyries, who served and fought for the god Odin. And there were some human beings.

The one-eyed Odin, chief of all Thor is the god of thunder. Vidar, a son of Odin, slays

gods, is also the god of death and wisdom.

the wolf that kills his father.

What kind of gods did Romans worship?

At first, Romans believed in many different gods and goddesses. These gods were like people, but with magical powers. The Roman gods were part of a family. People told stories or myths about them. Each god or goddess looked after different people or things.

These are a few of the old Roman gods:

Saturn: once king of the gods, his place was taken by his son (Jupiter). Saturn was the god of seed-sowing. A merry Roman holiday or festival, the Saturnalia, was named after him.

Jupiter: god of the sky, he was the most important god.

Juno: Jupiter's wife, she looked after women.

Neptune: Jupiter's brother, he was the god of the sea.

Minerva: goddess of wisdom and women's work, such as weaving cloth.

Mars: god of war, though originally god of farming.

Venus: goddess of love, she was the lover of Mars.

Meet some amazing ancient Greek gods

Zeus was the most powerful of the gods. Should he have to bring order, he would hurl a thunderbolt. Zeus was not afraid of anyone or anything except perhaps his wife.

Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus, and thus, the Queen. Hera was the goddess of marriage, children, and the home.

Poseidon, the lord of the sea, was the brother of Zeus. Poseidon was very powerful. He could raise his hand and a new island would appear! The Greeks were terrified of Poseidon, especially the Greeks who lived along the coast.

Hades, another brother of Zeus, was the lord of the underworld.

Ares, Zeus' son, was the god of war. He was tall and handsome but cruel and vain.

Athena was the goddess of wisdom.

Pandora was the first woman formed out of clay by the gods. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create her. Zeus sent Pandora down to earth to marry Epimetheus. Everyone in ancient Greece knew the story of Pandora's Box.

Pegasus was a winged horse who could fly. People were always trying to steal Pegasus, which caused them no end of

trouble!

The Minotaur was a mythical creature, half man/half beast, that lived in the center of a huge maze. As the story goes,

Theseus (a prince of Athens) was the only mortal ever to survive the maze.