Strange but Tru(ly Old): Weird Tales of Norse Myth

Some of the weirder stories that circulate about the Norse gods are the product of modern imagination or modern speculation, but some of them are genuinely old.
Jackson Crawford, Ph.D.: Sharing real expertise in Norse language and myth with people hungry to learn, free of both ivory tower elitism and the agendas of self-appointed gurus. Visit jacksonwcrawfo... (includes bio and linked list of all videos).
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[@thedondeluxe6941]

I remember learning that story about Thor dressing up as a woman in elementary school! Everyone laughed and thought it was funny, so I guess we got the joke :-) We thankfully learned a lot about Norse mythology in Norwegian elementary school.

[@leiferickson4841]

In US schools, we didn't learn any mythology. Thanks, ignorant christianity. :P I studied it myself, and was just the kind of nerd who wrote a twelve page report on world myth in fifth grade over the summer, for no grade no teacher, just fun.

[@thedondeluxe6941]

@@leiferickson4841 Well done :-) Yeah, I'm very happy about that. One of the few things I liked about elementary school!

[@casthedemon]

@@ryan.1990 IT IS MA'AM.

[@shanehiggs1779]

Had a great mythology teacher in high school - Mr. Thurman - who was just a fantastic story teller. His version of Thor getting his hammer back was hilarious. His class was the beginning of a lifelong interest in Germanic cosmology for me.

[@bluesdealer]

@@leiferickson4841 what school did you go to? I’m in Texas and we covered tons of Greek mythology in English Lit. classes, including Homer’s Odyssey & The Iliad. Obviously, Norse mythology was not a big part of it, but for the people who actually read their history textbooks, you could get the basic idea of many mythologies from the world history textbooks. I’ve never once heard a Christian argue that we shouldn’t teach ancient mythology. The only arguments I hear against it come from far left intersectionals who don’t like the fact that a western country is teaching western literature, but rather want to deemphasize or entirely erase that academic lineage. I think people who say this either weren’t paying attention or were just doing the bare minimum of assignments. That said, if you truly never even encountered at least Greek mythology during your education, that is a travesty and a sign that our country is in trouble.

[@TheSlyngel]

Norse storys are either funny or dark. Often both, they fit the scandinavian nature and climate perfectly. Thats why i always prefered the old gods to Christianity. Im very thankful to have grown up whit Norse myths and stories and I have considered myself to be a pagan since childhood thanks to the preserved stories i gott to hear from my childhood.

[@meadish]

As I kid I always preferred reading the myths about the Norse Gods much more than the Greek and Roman ones. The Greek and Roman gods overall seemed unhealthily obsessed with their two-timing jealousy dramas.

[@suzannehartmann946]

I enjoy the myths for entertainment and a laugh while reaping the benefits of taking my soul more seriously with Christ.

[@yerauldda6955]

@@suzannehartmann946 your christ is nothing but a mythological figure, the same as the norse gods. The bible is nothing but entertainment for people who aren't brainwashed

[@TorianTammas]

@holzy0815 A claim about Odin is no confirmation. These chronicles are a collection and no one knows the number nor names of the authors.

[@mcolville]

Oh interesting yeah, dream logic, that makes... **It's like a game master in a role playing game...*** Hey! My video! He watched my video!! :D

[@AnaranjadoGuitar]

Crossover??!

[@NevTheDeranged]

o hey fancy meeting you here.

[@procrastinator99]

Great to see you here!!

[@aenorist2431]

I mean, I still refer to Dr. Crawford as "Dr. Cowboy Viking" in my head :D

[@trollunderbridge2292]

Hail! Good to see you here as well.

[@ManCat114]

Thor’s marriage story tells like an Always Sunny episode. It was the “original” SitCom.

[@dylantennant6594]

Thor: Mac Freyr: Dennis Freyja: Dee Odin: Frank Loki: Charlie It makes too much sense!

[@TomTasker]

@@dylantennant6594 wonderful!

[@vorpalblades]

A Thor'sday. 4:53 P.M.

[@VXMasterson]

I gotta wonder if Thor, at any point during the rescue plan of his hammer, stopped and said, "Loki, why am I the one in a dress? You're a literal shapeshifter."

[@MagnusItland]

In the original, Loki turned into his bridesmaid. I am sure Loki was a lot more convincing in his role!

[@carlfromaccounting1112]

From what I've heard, the other gods just thought it would be funny for Thor to be the bride

[@Imperiused]

About humor in the myths: I was listening to the History of Egypt podcast recently, and the narrator there spoke about the same topic. He noted though it might seem strange to us today, where the dominant monotheistic religions can seem very serious and stern, ancient religions often incorporated humor and fun in how people understood the gods and observed religious ritual. I think the one story about the gods he brought up was a story where Hathor exposes her genitals to her father, which shocks him out of a depressive mood and makes him laugh. In the festival honoring Hathor, which was a riotous occasion with drinking and dancing, featured displays where women would expose themselves in public, mimicking the goddess herself. In any case, yeah we should be aware of our own preconceptions and try to avoid interpreting everything religious in an overly serious ways. These stories in many cases were meant to be at least as entertaining as they were religiously significant.

[@ratboy_]

Hey Jackson, I hope you're doing ok. Thank you for continuing to put this stuff out here. It's a welcome and needed break from college.

[@wuothanar3544]

All the best, doctor Crawford.

[@leotafaulkner8385]

Thor dressing up as a bride and when Tyr and Thor “tactically acquire” the mead cauldron are my top two favorites, another good one is when Frigg gets her handmaidens to dress like men to trick Odin.

[@AngryNegativeHistoryProject]

That's wild.

[@fabricio-agrippa-zarate]

This guy is literally the reason why I'm writing an old wes-set story of a guy who makes a deal with Odin.

[@hermanndercheruskerfurst9095]

Sounds cool, i'm sure you already know the song Ghost Riders in the Sky is an old west interpretation of Odin's Wild Hunt

[@fabricio-agrippa-zarate]

@@hermanndercheruskerfurst9095 gotta listen to it!

[@AngryNegativeHistoryProject]

That's great man

[@spankhill7722]

Very cool

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

Out there somewhere are some deeply offended tenure track assistant professors who can't take a joke.

[@percivalyracanth1528]

I like how 'Sleipnir' translates literally to 'Slippy', more or less. And there are other mythical characters named the same way. Of course our forebears were having a bit of a laugh!

[@shmood3000]

OuR fOrEbEaRs

[@Dsmwarrior1996]

I thought it was more closer to something like "the slippery one", meant to be a representation, Norse Magic and Beliefs has some videos on it's meaning in Norse paganism

[@Mr.Buttons]

@@johnnycivello362 it really doesn't

[@nakenmil]

I remember growing up with these stories. There are some fantastic Danish comic books and even a cartoon movie called Valhalla that has a lot of these stories in them. On the note of the "dream logic of myth" there in indeed an actual RPG-game that is pretty immersed in this logic. RuneQuest (and HeroQuest) are set in a world called Glorantha (loosely inspired by the bronze and iron ages) where interacting with gods and their weird, weird myths is a central part of the game. For anyone interested in this sort of thing, it could be worth it to check out!

[@zenocrate4040]

I love the Valhalla comics! Their Jormungandr is iconic.

[@nakenmil]

@@zenocrate4040 Ah, yes of course! Valhall, not Asgard, I'd forgotten. I will edit above.

[@heirwolf6929]

Loved the Valhall comics when I was a kid too! /Greetings from across the sound.

[@partytor11]

I watched the Valhalla movie as a kid and a few months ago I watched it for the first time in probably over 12 years with my kid sister. It still holds up very well!

[@M0U53B41T]

it's always fascinating to me how we have these bits of myths showing a hint of a world we don't know and a bit sad that we can't always recover it

[@Son-of-Tyr]

I love anything strange and obscure about Norse mythology, especially tales I've not yet heard. Great video

[@coyotemojo]

The mead story has a lot of common elements with the Welsh myth of Ceridwen and Taliesin. Lots of shape changing in that one, too

[@kingofarnor1430]

Interesting point about "dream logic" in myths!

[@roys8870]

Odin wanted to "sneak" in that is why he took the form of a snake. Going to the cave in the form of an eagle will simply announce himself to anybody watching the cave, specifically the father of the mead maker.

[@GepardenK]

Yes, this is surely the idea. But it is very much dream-logic: To hire someone to drill a hole through an entire mountain so that you can slip in as a snake is the sort of thing that only a dream can make seem sneaky. The litmus test is simple: if only a David Lynch film can make it seem sensible then it is operating on dream-logic.

[@oldmanofthemountains3388]

It always cracks me up when people hear the origin of Slepnir and their first question about Loki is "does that make him bisexual?". My reply is always the same. "He just f-ed a horse and THAT'S what your concern is?"

[@moralityisnotsubjective5]

People really need to learn to leave mortal definitions and concepts out of the affairs of the gods. They don't play by our rules and those ideas didn't even really exist at that time.

[@fariesz6786]

"nah, he's just kinky"

[@darkiee69]

Correction: Got F-ed by a horse. 😉

[@Kitsune1989]

Lets face it. Loki will f*** or be f***ed by anyONE or anyTHING. He's really not picky if his children are anything to go by.

[@JohanKylander]

If anything, Loki's into TF.

[@sellihcastarkiller3392]

Greatest teacher I've ever had!

[@haydenLlindsey]

Jackson! You should totally do a Let’s Play for the first God of War, I’m sure everyone would enjoy your insight!

[@dirtyd33ds6]

You sir are a true enrichment for the internet.

[@melissahdawn]

Last night, I watched a video about American Indian folklore and was sort of taken aback by how similar the stories (especially truly odd ones) are to old Norse stories.

[@mythosandlogos]

I’m always amazed at how many parallels there are around the world.

[@CarlosSanchez-my7zg]

Agreed!

[@treering8228]

I have a very large book of world mythology that, once read, I saw how the world’s myths are so very similar. With a few exceptions of course. The whole thing fascinates me.

[@blanketparty5259]

@@treering8228 a lot of them are due to indo european migrations. The creation myth. In the beginning there was darkness, cosmic twins and a bovine, one twin sacrificed and cut up to make the universe and a home for the other, a serpent or enemy with 3 heads shows up , steals the bovine or livestock of the people, then a warrior is made to retrieve the bovine. This myth is in germania, scandiavia, mesopotamia,Persia, India, celtic myths, Ireland, Rome, Greece, and even the Bible. Of course with contextual and cultural differences. But often if you read these myths from these cultures the fragments of the creation myth created by the undo European peoples from the pontic Caspian steppe can be traced through symbols , continuity of names, or the same exact structure of that original story. The indo european creation myth is one of the most widely spread myths ever to exist and its not a mystery how. With more genetic evidence of the indo European migrating from the caspain steppe using horses and metallurgy its only becoming more and more clear.

[@treering8228]

@@blanketparty5259 check out “The White Goddess” by Robert Graves, that’s a great one on poetry and prose and the indoeuropean migration from the Black Sea area and so much more, actually written in 1948. I was lucky to get an old copy given to me over 20 ya and even though it’s written like a lecture, I was spellbound. It’s back in print, with additions, and I now have a new one as my old fell apart. I actually reference it several times a year. The recent DNA evidence is fascinating and proves Robert Graves many theories.

[@RoemDaug]

The saying that "fact is stranger than fiction" could be used as an argument to prove that Norse mythology is true

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

I live in the Trondheim area of Norway. Near by, we find place names like Heimdal, Jotunheimen, Hell and more. We can barely stick a shovel in to the ground without uncovering some viking artifact or other. It's... pretty cool :)

[@MT-kw4hn]

That's the area my family emigrated from generations ago. I've read that it existed in the Viking age and I've always wanted to see it. We hope to visit one day when travel is possible. :)

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

@@sarahgilbert8036 Pretty cool, isn't it? :)

[@TSmith-yy3cc]

"You did WHAT?! We meant that you should like... Steal his trowel or mess with his grout... Why would you... You know what; we don't want to know."

[@mythosandlogos]

It’s great to have someone so knowledgeable share the fun/weird stories, too!

[@TrondBørgeKrokli]

As far as I can remember, some of these stories are also told in the great comic series "Valhalla" by Peter Madsen (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valhalla_(comics) ). Those stories were great entertainment for me during my years of attempted study at the University in Oslo (UiO) in the early 1990s. I remember well how funny I found the story of Þrymskviða (Thrymskvida) and the shame felt by Thor for having to dress up as a bride. I also had fun watching Odin playing chess against the head of Mimir during some of the stories.

[@karenl6908]

These narratives honestly sound like what happens when you're telling a story to a bunch of kids!

[@slappy8941]

And now you understand mythology.

[@dirksharp9876]

Great stuff thank you Jackson!

[@blakewinter1657]

He can't fly into it because Suttungr would have seen him come in. He needed to get in without Suttungr knowing.

[@fredblonder7850]

Same reason Sam and Frodo couldn’t fly into Mount Doom.

[@blakewinter1657]

@@fredblonder7850 I actually thought I had typed that out, but apparently I forgot

[@dmstantastic3653]

Heimdallr fights a whole battle with Loki as otters so it's not beyond him. I've also attributed his nine mothers with the nine months of pregnancy.

[@vicdark8807]

It was in the form of a seal in the translation I read.

[@darkiee69]

There's a reason Odin didn't fly in to the cave. It was supposed to be a stealth mission, hence the drilled hole. That changed when the hole got plugged and he couldn't go out the way he came in. Improvise, adapt, overcome.

[@GepardenK]

Yeah, but drilling a hole through an entire mountain is only stealthy in dream-logic land.

[@darkiee69]

@@GepardenK Not through an entire mountain. from a small cave below.

[@hyvakoira]

Personally, I consider Welsh "Mabinogion" to be the weirdest stuff mythology-wise. There's a crazy (by modern standards, of course) story there, about king Math punishing his two treacherous nephews for abusing a girl by turning them into a couple of deer, a male and a female. A year after they returned to the castle with a baby deer, and only then the king said their shameful punishment was over. I always thought the story of Loki and Sleipnir was a rather inglorious (and funny) punishment for his bad advice to gods, not a sexual adventure.

[@ChocolateZteak]

Super interesting take, cool!

[@brandonlemon2060]

People under estimate how facetious Vikings are. Even today, the Scandinavians are known to have a rather odd sense of humor.

[@AnaranjadoGuitar]

You always mention TTRPGs. You had a cameo from Matt Colville in your rocky mountain independent campaign video.... when are you going to join a D&D livestream??

[@guidetoanything]

Even a one-shot would be fantastic!

[@danmaertens7872]

I eagerly look forward to that!

[@kainmathews5489]

Jackson, I do hope your doing well and keep your head up brother. Always here for yoy as you are for us. Thank you Sir for everything you share.

[@bldyvampkisses]

I can just imagine Scandinavians sitting around the fire after dinner trying to entertain one another with stories of the Gods and doing their best to make one another laugh with these stories.

[@murunbuchstanzangur]

Great storytelling, amazing backdrop... After the tale of odin obtaining the mead of poetry, I wondered if you had any thoughts about the symbology of the serpent and eagle in Norse mythology, the pairing seems to occur a lot, as well in other mythologies, and it really interests me.

[@fimbulsummer]

The humour of Old Norse literature was what sealed it for me. At uni, Old Norse and Old/Middle English were all in the same classes, and the English ones were soooooo boring and stuffy. I loved doing the Old Norse translations of stories I hadn’t read in English first, so I’d come across stuff like Þórr in a bridal dress and piss myself laughing. That feeling when you’re wondering “have I translated this correctly? 🧐 Is this really what the text says and not just me? 🙃” Ah, I miss those days. 😂

[@kevinduffy2502]

Beautiful background.. idk if the word beautiful even does justice to it

[@DizzyDior12]

"Edda-pedia" YES! I wish this was a thing. I guess that's what fan fiction is for lol.

[@scubawolf71]

Does anyone know that peak in the background? It looks like it'd be fun to climb. Also; great job as always, Dr. Crawford. Your works are much appreciated!

[@zenosAnalytic]

gr8 vid! There's a sort of almost warner brother's quality to Loki deciding to distract the jotun's horse by taking on the form of a mare, followed by the punchline of him giving birth to a baby horse; like all those old bugs bunny genderplay cartoons but with more commitment to the gag :p

[@spookepicgamermommie7302]

The Schwarzenegger reference was hilarious. What that movie called Mr mom?

[@johannesstephanusroos4969]

It was called Junior

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Hello 👋 I just found your channel and your content is entertaining. I have a question for you. You Know that myths and folklore has truth to start with. For instance the Egyptians speaks of Osiris Set Isis. They have found the tomb of Osiris. So they may have been real beings in Rome they've found the tombs of Romulus and Remus . So I'm thinking of how true are the Norse folklore. If They existed the way they built Pyres That would make finding an actual burial quite difficult.

[@jamesbarrington3344]

Please keep up the good work. Enjoy your wonderful content.

[@roceb5009]

13:00 I was just watching your discussion with Luke Gorton about the days of the week, where you speculated that Saturn/Saturday was originally associated with Loki, but this was abandoned as a kind of discomfort with honoring Loki with his own day. Could this story about Loki's castration have tied in with his identification with Saturn? Of course in the Greco-Roman story, Saturn was the one doing the castrating, rather than being castrated, and there was no goat as far as I know. The fact that both castrations result in the addition of a goddess to the pantheon seems like an interesting parallel as well.

[@Ratnoseterry]

I've always found the seemingly underlying connection between thor dressing as a woman and the naval Sons of Neptune ritual interesting. I rarely hear anyone discuss the ritual, or what its underlying teachings or mythological extensions are however.

[@mattiasthornkvist7141]

The teenage sounding humor isn´t just Norse mythology too. I recall the weird story from Greek myths when Ares and Aphrodite are caught in a net by Hephaestus followed by him sharing the sight of them in flagrante delicto with the rest of the gods as a joke.

[@emb7854]

"And then asking if he is a tenure track assistant professor..." SHOTS FIRED but that does get the point across beautifully! XD

[@kingbeauregard]

In the comics, Loki turned Thor into a frog at one point to keep him out of the way in a bid to take over Asgard. The Thor frog thing isn't really a major part of his comics history -- it was like three issues back in the mid 1980s -- but it was a very memorable incident for a guy who honestly has had a lot of dull comics adventures.

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

If I remember correctly (haven’t read these issues in a few years) it also ties into American mythology in that he helps the other frogs fight an alligator in the NYC sewer system.

[@FrankShortt]

Never heard this in our education in the myths… but seems like the comics picked up on the funny stuff

[@kingbeauregard]

@@donkeysaurusrex7881 You remember correctly: he gets turned into a big ol' bullfrog, more or less a normal frog but bigger than average; and there is a brewing war between the frogs and the rats. At some point in this, frog-Thor stumbles upon Mjolnir, touches it, and turns into a human-sized frog version of his normal Thor self, in costume and all. From there he's off to Asgard to set things right. Tangentially, at some later point, a human who has been cursed and turned into a frog stumbles upon a tiny chip of Mjolnir, and it turns him into a frog-sized frog Thor.

[@danielleswan3602]

I love this voice! Has he recorded any audiobooks?

[@Eagle621]

Excellent video sir!

[@wbnc66]

Greek Gods: The gods are not to be laughed at! Norse Gods: don't get yer toga in a twist there laughing boy. Here have some mead...

[@slorpindaddydagothur]

Awesome video Dr Crawford!

[@user-zh4vo1kw1z]

I love how the motivation of many of the old norse stories boil down to 'come at me bro'

[@beajoh]

Nice. I wasn't sure if you'd tell the goat beard story.

[@jpavlvs]

I suppose when you're sitting around in the dead of winter in 500 AD you have to entertain yourselves. They probably were intended to be funny.

[@bigfootisjustreallyshy]

Dr. Crawford do you know anything about the drawings in Codex Regius GKS 2365? Are they original from the time it was first written down? Any academic guesses on who the face on 16 recto could possibly be? Maybe a God or Hero? Or are they just meaningless doodles?

[@i20coyote85]

First video of yours I'm watching and only a couple seconds in your voice makes me think of a cowboy/gunslinger

[@zakhard8659]

Very cool video. Like this style from 2 y ago

[@wintersking4290]

It is most of the gods who shapechange in Celtic mythology. The prevalence of this in Northern European folklore is interesting.

[@Tommy1977777]

I wish you had more on Vidarr as a god. i understand that his story is limited a great deal and as such has very little to go on research wise. Id like to bounce a few things off of you for some of your expertise and input: Vidarr is referred to as the "Silent God" but ive also encountered source material that says he is the "God of Vengeance" for his role in slaying Fenrir at Ragnarok. Taking these roles into consideration in addition to his being described as being "Strong, second only to Thor" i tried to derive a sort of modern interpretation (i know. its not a good path to follow since Norse Myth tends to deviate quite a bit from modern sensibilities but hear me out). A skill of the day that any young man would be expected to know would be warfare. Thor is seen i think as the patron god of war and warriors. This reflects his nature: strong, proud, eager to "Stand out" and be noticed, intimidating, etc. in short they are qualities we would want in an infantryman today. Aggressive. in contrast ive thought of Vidarr as the "God of Special Operations". Hes quiet (keeps secrets), walks softly (with his one boot) and carries a "big stick" "(his sword). He is also the god of vengeance acting to slay the mightiest of enemies (Fenrir). Also spec ops tend to operate in secrecy. which would make Vidarr an ideal candidate in addition to Thor.

[@djspicy8286]

Your content is awesome man love it!

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

To me these humourous and weird stories show that what we have left is a mixture of myths that people believed about their gods and stories with the gods as characters, a kind of fan fiction. Our trouble is we don't always know which is which.

[@Jesters-Jinx]

Loved that first one.

[@Meatwad.Baggins]

I cant hide in my dreams. When I get behind something to avoid being seen I ALWAYS slide out from it and in view of whatever I'm hiding from.

[@timothyreal]

Maybe this is a bit out of the purview of Old Norse, but having read old pre-Christian myths in Europe, it seems that each culture has a different approach to shapechanging. For example, shapechanging in Celtic stories seems very quotidian and taken for granted (e.g. selkies, pookas, the children of Lir), as opposed to Greek stories, where they seem almost exclusively to be either etiological or moral (or both, like the story of Arachne). From what I've read of old Norse legends, shapeshifting seems to be chiefly humorous (e.g. Loki) or done for the sake of becoming more powerful (e.g. Fafner). I'm aware I could cherry-picking examples due to a lack of scholarly experience or a lack of surviving counterexamples. So I guess my questions would be: Would you agree that the different pre-Christian cultures of Europe approach shapeshifting in different ways? If so, what can be reasonably conjectured about those societies from those stories? Thank you for all the work you do on this wonderful channel!

[@stephenmckay9402]

In Irish myth, it seems to me that characters are often changed into other animals by the magic of other people. In The Wooing of Étaín, Fuamnach transforms Étaín into a puddle of water. Étaín emerges in the form of a beautiful purple fly that lives for 100s of years. You already mentioned the Children of Lir, where Aoife casts a spell on a loch to change her stepchildren into swans. I don’t know of an example of this in Norse myth. Both cultures have “weird” storylines by modern standards for sure.

[@Kitsune1989]

I know a lot of Greek myths used shape-shifting as punishment ie that one hunter who peaks at Artemis as she bathes gets turned into a buck and his hounds chase and year him apart. Native American mythos seem to focus on shape-shifting as a way to think around a problem rather then just accept something is impossible (Ie stories of good ol' Raven). Some of the Russian mythos especially those that concern changing form tend to be entirely terrifying. But again, usually to serve a lesson or to warn. Just... Russian stories and lullabies are creepy when translated accurately. There's one about a lady having a pre-[arranged I assume, as was the custom at the time]marriage affair. On her way back from her lover she gets attacked by a large wolf. She tries to bargain, only to be killed anyway. Sometimes it's the jealous would-have-been husband in the form of a wolf. Sometimes the wolf is a manifestation of the betrayal/rage of her would-be spouse. Sometimes it's a self-punishment brought on by the woman's guilt and the husband, having found out about her betrayal, sees her torn apart as he goes to confront her. Remember these originate way before modern times and Russia has always really been a country where loyalty has been stressed; before any such laws as spousal abuse or equality was even thought of. There's even a song in Swedish about a variation of the same theme. So I can only assume they have a similar tale. Also I find many people try to apply modern perceptions of the world on a time period where certain things were just considered acceptable. Zeus would have been considered a sex addicted rapist by modern standards but in the time that the mythos was really 'alive' and taken as fact so to speak he would have been seen more to be expected but kept unacknowledged. Hera is often portrayed as a bit of a jealous shrew because again times (the whole cow incident comes to mind) but in modern context we sympathize with Hera, as her man-whore rapist with impulse control issues f***s just about everyone and everything except the person he's supposed to be f***ing. But to get back on topic, am I the only one that finds it interesting that when Christianity (and some other 'new/Young's religions for their time) came around and started with the invade a neighbor games; shape-shifting went from being a natural attribute of the being (think Irish lore, selkies for instance), a lesson/punishment (ie the hunter and Artemis, the story of Arachna), humourous (Loki...enough said), a lesson (Raven), etc (in other words generally 'positive') to something vilified/evil (ie the devil is said to have some ability to shape-shift at least in early incarnations, though it's left rather ambiguous)?

[@alexhandel9270]

Very informative video, Doctor. If I may ask what happened to your left ear?

[@Aliskandr]

I hear in this myth a magical potion ie; hallucinogen where One “flies” and shape changes as a result.

[@garydavid7790]

Well done

[@AbhiN_1289]

Jackson crawford, a reason for such dream logical myths, or the inconsistencies is how the myths evolved. During the time of the viking age, or actually any age, different regions of a land have different myths or different versions of the same myth. Poets later compiling these include both the myths, and in other cases new myths are formed to reconcile the various versions. Other times it is the evolution of the culture. You know, new gods being added, or gods being merged, or one god evolving into two. To reconcile this later story tellers would weave a story to resolve this. Other times myths reconcile the religious views of the people. Some people think the Asir and Vanir wars ae representing the merging of local gods and godesses with that of the Germanic speakers. Antoehr example is in the Irish folklore, the old irish gods became fairies in later times with the advent of Christianity.

[@melissahdawn]

Very insightful comment. Thank you for making it.

[@Scareth]

Perhaps that's why Óðinn has so many names

[@ko7975]

I'm curious why anyone would give this a thumbs down? 🤣

[@chivalrousjack]

Hold on. Did not Heimdallr shape changed in his battle with Loki? I did the term "AntiGod". "Fear?", I don't recall reading that word in context. "Bad poets"? Haha? I don't recall reading this, either. Just poets. Are you being humorous, or is there something I missed?

[@jobliss1234]

Let's add some modern twist for fun on the 1st three stories: 1st story Odin running stolen alcohol stashed in a cave like a snake they saw him slither. & when chased he leaps and flys like an eagle (fast) out another opening in the cave with some of the stash to drop at the base of the mountain to make the trail go cold... 2nd boast: Loki finds a burned woman who ask him to care for her baby, He turns her down, it (he) devours her heart and she then dies. The child too was partially burned but, lived he did keep her as if she were from his own pregnancy & she came to be known as an evil troll woman. 3rd Loki uses a mare to bait away a giant of a man's (carpenter) horse. Man is outraged (but, has no witnesses) and challenged Loki. They allowed them to fight (Loki was skilled so, was basically allowed to kill him) Then instead of just a mare, Loki had an 8 legged horse (or two horses) To take away suspension he gave the hudge horse to Odin. ✌

[@mb377w]

I for one am very interested in the extended versions of the Eddas. Can we get that with commentary from Snori?

[@clintonlemoine986]

Great perspective

[@BlargleRagequit]

"Were these characters bisexual?" "Well to be fully accurate, *heterosexuality* hadn't been invented yet."

[@fariesz6786]

great, now i'm trying to find an official reference, definition, and etymology of "co(u)quinette masculine" thanks jackson and adhd

[@Fricker112]

This is neat, strange, but neat.

[@cybercel164]

Every good fable has a moral.

[@peringefilip]

Thank You. Very interesting. How about an extended use of ” kenningar” IF you get my point sir.

[@luvmalynn]

My goodness…..be still my heart…intelligent, articulate and handsome?! He MUST be a Demi-God himself!! 🤓😍 Thank you for your studies and willingness to share and teach others…that is where the true beauty lies!

[@THEinSEnDeaieri]

I fricken like these videos.

[@Ostenjager]

I really think it’s often easy to forget that the ancient Norse told these stories to convey spiritual concepts in the context of a culture that is now nearly completely lost to us. If we had the context of understanding the paradigm that these cultures operated under, then these stories would likely make a great deal more sense. It’s not an unworthy endeavor to attempt to understand them anyway.

[@jonrolfson1686]

It seems that what may have begun as ‘just so’ tales sometimes morph into just so very weird tales. Palimpsests, perhaps; the work of many generations of wordsmiths.

[@skylark7921]

An interesting thing I notice w the stories about Loki is that he’s pretty consistently characterized as not being very concerned with others’ opinion of him. He readily shape changes into silly things, willingly makes himself look ridiculous, and freaking turns into a ✨sexy✨ mare to seduce a stallion in order to hinder someone (which sounds straight out of a wonderfully chaotic D&D session by the way). I think his sexuality or gender isn’t as relevant as the fact that he did something bizarre and kind of ridiculous and was completely comfortable with it. Especially contrasted to Thor dressing up as a bride - you mentioned how Loki poked fun at Thor despite frequently disguising himself as female, and how that teasing was more effective specifically because Thor was this powerful, manly warrior. Thor couldn’t really hit back with “you literally gave birth” because Loki just doesn’t care how manly or unmanly others see him. I think that might be part of why in Lokasenna he pretty much crushes the other gods when it comes to insults. He picks at their insecurities and reputations, and they struggle to hit back because Loki just doesn’t care about what others think of him.

[@Larsanator]

Your choice of backdrop tho!

[@gypsytarot22]

Ty🌻

[@darrylblanch8463]

It really seems like Loki was a female but portrayed as a male or was a hermaphrodite with all working parts

[@Marvinuser]

@Jackson Crawford This is rather interesting to me because Odrerir may not actually be the mead ! but it is the name of one container, the cauldron, its kept in by fjalar and galar the dwarfs, its called the blood of kvasir or the skald mead (Odrerir - the kettle, and the names of the two vats are Són and Bodn) Fimbulljóð níu nam ek af inum frægja syni Bölþorns, Bestlu föður, ok ek drykk of gat ins dýra mjaðar, ausinn Óðreri. - Potent songs nine from the famed son I learned of Bölthorn, Bestla’s sire, and a draught obtained of the precious mead, drawn from Odhrærir. It is howéver a so called kenning which is a figure of speech, or reference to the content of said kettle/cauldron as well, in example: Snorri considers that "liquid of Óðrerir and Boðn and Són" (lögr Óðreris ok Boðnar ok Sónar) is a kenning for the mead of poetry which is also known as kvasirs blood or the skald mead, but in general thought it is common to think of this as the container of the mead (and by extent its content, depending on context) Moreover, the etymology of the name - which can be rendered into: "stirrer of inspiration" or "stirrer of fury" - suggests that it rather refers to the mead. Boðn probably means "vessel" (or a vessel of the mead called-, or a name for one of three containers) and Són signifies either "reconciliation" or "blood" As in asian practices of the samurai, they would 'zone' a shame to end their own life by forcing a sword into their stomach (draw blood - Són/Sónar and more interesting: bodn could be a root word for the danish phrase: råde 'bod' på - or: at 'bøde' for, meaning to make up for- or 'to pay for what you have done' but don't hang me up in this! and btw i am danish should you have any doubt ) But it can be argued whether one or the other is the right translation, but the name of the container is undoubtable: Óðrerir. i like the fact that you mention the reference though and there's a lot of controversy on this subject so i'll just say i love what you're doing here. Altough, since i selfstudied on this subject for more than 18 years and i do speak icelandic, i'd like to quote this little piece: Kvasir went up and down the earth to give instruction to men; and when he came upon invitation to the abode of certain dwarves, Fjalar and Galarr, they called him into privy converse with them, and killed him, letting his blood run into two vats and a kettle. The kettle is named Ódrerir, and the vats Són and Bodn; they blended honey with the blood, and the outcome was that mead by the virtue of which he who drinks becomes a skald or scholar. - Skáldskaparmál

[@bartholomewschumacher443]

My understanding of paganism is times change....beliefs shift. It is great to follow the transition of history and mythology.

[@JediSheng]

What is likely a very dumb question that popped into my head when you mentioned Sleipnir's color at about the 11:30 mark... I've grown up around equestrians and 'horse people' pretty much my entire life, so I default to 'grey' meaning basically a horse that loses the pigmentation of it's coat until it ends up being white in color... It's also used as a term used for a white horse with dark / black skin and hooves But when I was reading the Edda (the one I had put the original old Norse on one page, and the translation on the opposite, and I sometimes would dig through translation books or bug friends who knew a bit of the language for translations) and I realized that the word used there was grar, so now I'm wondering if Sleipnir was ACTUALLY grey / remained a Steel grey or the like... or if the term was being used as it is used in the modern day / to indicate that Sleipnir went through the greying process and thus went from a black/dark color to a 'white' horse

[@svenderikengh]

Are you aware of the Danish educational concept Folkehøjskole first mentioned in the foreword of N.F.S. Grundtvig: Nordisk Mytologi from 1832. Grundtvig based his schools on the knowledge of the norse myths. He claimed that you could hear the youth of the Danish people by listening to these stories, not reading them, listening to them.

[@tulfimbul2123]

Loki is the Sagna hrærir (mover of the saga/story) one of he"s ofsprings are the midgardsepent who says lie all around the world biting he"s own tale (symbolice among other things time)

[@sandranevins2144]

All stories are better with a sprinkling of humor, flights of fancy, logic. Mix stir well and serve ( the story telling). Peace.

[@Daniel509476]

Thanks this video Doc! SKOL🤘😄

[@Raua12]

I've never thought the stories were strange in the way that is described here. But we may have very different world views when it comes to these things. I think the thing is that these are communal stories. Stories do not have to be logical, and with people building the stories bit by bit in different places there can be many versions that then merge into one. In one story, one thing happens based on how that storyteller saw the world. In another, another storyteller tells another story based on how they saw the places. One person hears both these stories and carries them on. But both stories view one place or happening in two different ways. Does that make sense?

[@tatevancleve1802]

Are Yotans "Frost Giants" the enemy if Oden/Thor's people? Isn't Loki either part yotan?