Asgard
- This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology. For other uses of the names Asgard, Asgaard and Asgård, see Asgard (disambiguation).
In Norse religion and Norse mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: Ásgarðr) is the realm of the Gods, the Æsir, the realm of the mortals being called Mannheim(not related to the city).
The walls surrounding Asgard, designed to protect the Gods from the Giants, were built by a Hrimthurs, a Frost Giant, in disguise, in return for which he was to receive in payment the hand of Freya in marriage and the sun and the moon. This was agreed, provided that the work be completed within six months, and that he do it with no help. But Loki convinced the Æsir to allow the builder to let his stallion help in the building.
As the construction neared completion, the Gods regretted their contract and the solemn vows with which they had concluded it, and they threatened Loki with horrid punishment. So, in order to avoid the payment, Loki transformed himself into a mare and lured away the Giant's magic horse, Svadilfari, (the result of which was the foaling of Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged steed, best of all horses). After chasing his horse all night, the builder could see that the job could not be completed on time. He fell into such a rage that his identification as a Giant could no longer be concealed. The Æsir therefore felt their vows were void, and they called upon Thor, who had been absent fighting Trolls. Thor promptly smashed the Giant's skull with his hammer, Mjöllnir, and sent him straight to Niflhel. (Prose Edda, Gylfaginning, Paragraph XLII).
The plain of Idavoll is the centre of Asgard. The Æsir meet there for discussions on important issues: the Gods meet in a hall called Gladsheim, and the Goddesses in a hall called Vingólf. They also meet daily at the Well of Urd, beneath Yggdrasill.
Other spellings
- Alternatives Anglicisations: Ásgard, Ásegard, Ásgardr, Asgardr, Ásgarthr, Ásgarth, Asgarth, Esageard, Ásgardhr
- Common Swedish and Danish form: Asgård
- Norwegian: Åsgard (also Åsgård, Asgaard, Aasgaard)
- Icelandic, Faroese: Ásgarður
Modern popular culture
Depictions of and references to Asgard exist in modern popular culture.
Asgard is the home to Thor in the Marvel Comics Universe.
The Asgard are also a race of aliens in the popular Sci-Fi series "Stargate SG-1"
Finnish Ior Bock, a former tourist guide, claims the real-world Asgård once existed on the islands of Suomenlinna.
"The Battle for Asgard" is a song by the hip-hop group Cannibal Ox, and contains many refrences to norse mythology.
External links
Template:NorseMythology
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