Beliefs+&+Stories,+Giants,+Gods+and+Creation+AB

Year 8 Humanities: Vikings Vicious Vandals or Explorers and Entrepreneurs?

Beliefs & Stories, Giants, Gods and Creation

__ ﻿ Remember: __ // 1. //// 1. How Christmas is often celebrated today is a mix of Christian and Pagan traditions. //

Decorating Christmas trees with lights, mistletoes, Yule logs, decorating pine branches and exchanging gifts were never part of the Christian Christmas tradition. All these things were adapted from the Pagan traditions to form the modern Christmas we celebrate nowadays. // 2.Why did the Vikings choose to cremate their loved ones? // The Vikings chose to cremate their loved ones because Odin passed a law that stated that all dead men should be burned and all their belongings to be placed on the pile of ashes and to be cast out to sea or buried in the ground. By being cremated, everyone will reach Valhalla, Viking heaven, where they will have all their possessions to enjoy in the afterlife.

__ Understand: __ // 1. //// What was the responsibility of the Viking gods listed below? // // Odin, Thor, Loki, Freya, Balder. //

Thor: Thor was the son of Odin and the most popular of the Viking Gods. He was the god of thunder, sky, fertility and the law. He has items, which give him strength, like his hammer Mjolnir, and pretty much killed everything that moved. Thor was quite simple minded and other gods sometimes took advantage of it.

Odin: Odin was the god of war and magic. He was the chief god of Viking mythology. He was the father of Thor, Balder, Hoder, Tyr, Bragi, Heimdall, Ull and Rind. He liked to go around in a human disguise and impregnating women.



Loki: Loki is the god of fire. He is very mischievous and can be considered as the most interesting god in Asgard. He is apparently related to Odin and came to Asgard because he and Odin entered a blood-brotherhood.

Balder: Son of Odin and Frigg, Balder was the god of light, joy, beauty and innocence. He was loved by everyone and was considered the best of all the gods. He was friendly, smart and fluent in writing and speaking.



Freya: Freya was the goddess of beauty, love and destiny. She was known for her beauty. She had many affairs but loved her husband very much.

//2.// // With the gods featured above would the Vikings associate the following events: // -

- A sudden thunderstorm: Thor - The discovery of a seam of amber in the Earth: Freya - An earthquake: Odin - A magical spell involving the use of runes: Loki

__ Apply: __

__http://thorsonofodin.wikispaces.com/__

__ Analyze: __ // Research what a //// ‘ //// saga //// ’ //// is in Viking times, and why this form of story telling was so popular. How did Vikings pass on stories before they were written down? What is a skald? //

Sagas are stories about ancient Viking voyages about migration and feuds between families. It is usually true, and is usually written in Norse language. Vikings passed down their stories orally by telling it to their younger generations. A skald is someone that writes and tells poems recognizing heroes and their heroic deeds.

__ Evaluate: __

__ Design: __

// Write your own Norse Myth, remember to include some of the Gods and the Hammer of Thor. // // See your teacher for a model of the Myth Genre to work from. //

Raj the horrible and his crew were at sea, going on their daily raid. On his way back, everything was going accordingly to plan when a sudden storm hit them. The waters started to get rough, and thunder was roaring continuously. Raj was dumbfounded; he didn’t know what he did wrong to get Thor so worked up and mad. He called out to Thor, demanding to know what was wrong, but only to get MORE thunder thrown down at him. Raj and his crew managed to weave their way through the storm safely, and back to their village. Safely back at his village, he told everyone of his story, and found out from a Skald, that today was the day that Thor found out that his darling daughter was to be married to a dwarf! No wonder Thor was so mad. Meanwhile, in Asgard, Thrud was getting ready to marry Alvis the dark dwarf. Thor was NOT happy. A day before the wedding, Odin visited Thor. He told him he was very disappointed that Thor would stand for his own daughter to be married to a dwarf. So, Thor devised a plan. He challenged Alvis to a duel. He knew he would win, but Alvis was so in love with Thrud and so determined that he did not think the challenge through. He agreed easily and met up with Thor the night before the wedding. Thor did not plan to kill Alvis, he only hoped to stretch the battle long enough for sunlight to appear because he knew that dark dwarves could not be seen in sunlight and they would turn to stone if they were. Sure enough, the battle lasted till the first ray of sunlight and Alvis immediately turned to stone. The battle was won, and the wedding was called off.