In the Norse story of creation, the frost maidens and Ymir, the first Giant, were formed from the mist. Ymir’s son was Odin’s father and his mother was a frost maiden. Odin and his two brothers killed Ymir and made the earth and sky from him. The sea was made from his blood, the earth from his body and the heavens from his skull.

Odin, the sky-father was the chief god of the Norsemen. He was a strange and solemn figure, always aloof. When he attended the feasts of the gods he would sit apart and eat nothing. He gave the food sat before him to the two wolves sitting at his feet. The two ravens, named Thought and Memory, who perched on his shoulders would fly away each day and bring back to him news of the world. While the other gods ate, Odin would think about the things the ravens had brought him.

The home of the Norse gods was Asgard. It was quite different from the heaven most men imagined. It was a solemn, grave place with the threat of doom hovering over all. There was no joy or assurance of bliss. The gods knew that someday their enemies would bring them down in defeat. In spite of the fight against evil being hopeless, the gods would fight for good up to the end.

It was Odin’s responsibility to postpone the day of doom as long as possible. Even though he was supreme among the gods, he still constantly longed for more wisdom. When he was told at the Well of Wisdom that he would have to pay for a drink with one of his eyes, he willingly gave it. He hung 9 nights on a wind-rocked tree, wounded with a spear to receive the knowledge of the Runes, the magical and powerful inscriptions. Instead of keeping this wisdom to himself, he passed it on to mankind so they too could use the knowledge to protect themselves. To get the skaldic mead he fought the Giants so that the gods and men would be able to be poets after tasting the special drink. Of all the gods he was man’s benefactor.

Odin’s attendants were the Valkries. These maidens waited on the table in Asgard and kept the drinking horns full. However, their main jobs were to decide on the battlefield, at Odin’s bidding, who would win and who would die. After the battle they would carry the dead to Odin at Valhalla, the Hall of the Slain.

Frigga was the wife of Odin and Balder was their son, the most beloved of the gods. He dreamed that some great danger would befall on him. Upon hearing this, his mother vowed to protect him and went through the world getting everything to promise they would not harm him. In spite of this, Odin learned from the Goddess of the Dead that Balder would die. Even so the other gods believed that Frigga had made Balder safe so they were constantly throwing things at him. It seemed nothing would hurt Balder and the gods honored him for that, all except Loki. Loki was the son of a Giant, not a god and wherever he went trouble seemed to follow. He was jealous of Balder and was determined to find a way of injuring him. He disguised himself and was able to learn from Frigga that the mistletoe had not sworn to do no harm to Balder.

Loki got some mistletoe and pursuaded one of the gods to throw it at Balder. The twig of mistletoe went straight to Balder’s heart and he fell dead. His mother wouldn’t give up and asked a volunteer to go to the place of the dead to try to ransom Balder. Hela, who held Balder’s body, said that she would give him back if it could be proved that everyone mourned for him. But she would keep him if one living thing or creature refused to shed a tear for him. Messengers were sent out and everything wept for Balder. As they were coming to the end of their journey they came upon a Giantess who refused to weep, so Hela kept her dead.