Test Your Knowledge of Norse Mythology

Fenrir, a monstrous wolf, was the son of Loki and Angerboda. His unusual size and alarming appetite concerned the gods, so they decided to restrain him. Their first two attempts failed, and they finally resorted to a chain fabricated from the sound of a cat's footsteps, a woman's beard, and other materials believed to have magical properties. The chain held, and Fenrir's jaws were wedged open with a sword to prevent him from devouring anything else.

According to Norse mythology, the largest ship in the world was built from the fingernails and toenails of the dead. Naglfar sailed from the land of fire, led by Hrym and Loki, toward the final battle at Ragnarök. The name “Naglfar” is Old Norse for “nail farer.” The Tullstorp Runestone in Scania, Sweden, depicts Naglfar as a ship unlike any Viking ship of the time.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and the apples given by the goddess Idunn kept the gods young and healthy. Norse gods were not immortal, but they were said to have unusually long lives. Idunn appears in only two tales from Norse mythology: one from the “Prose Edda,” in which she was abducted from Haustlöng, and one from the “Poetic Edda.”

The first creature of any kind to emerge in the nine realms of Norse cosmology was the giant Ymir, but the first animal was a cow named Audhumla. The cow licked and melted ice, and licked away rock to reveal the god Búri, who mated with a giantess named Bestla. She then gave birth to the gods Odin, Vili, and Vé.

Sleipnir was not just any magical horse, but an eight-legged magical horse who took Odin throughout the Nine Worlds. Sleipnir was born when Loki shapeshifted into a mare and became pregnant by a giant’s stallion. “Sleipnir” translates to “the Sliding One,” and the “Prose Edda” describes him as being gray in color.

Freyja was a powerful goddess associated with both love and war, who rode in a chariot pulled by two cats. While some earlier translations described the cats as large tigers or lions, most translations of Norse mythology — as well as artwork from the 1800s — depict animals that look like common house cats at the front of Freyja’s chariot.

Stretching from the underworld to the heavens, a cosmic tree called Yggdrasil held up the universe in Norse mythology. The tree’s roots connected it with the nine worlds and was maintained by three powerful female figures: Norns Uror, Veroandi, and Skuld. The tree received water from the magical Well of Uror.

Christianity has Adam and Eve, but Norse tradition has Ash and Embla as the first humans on Earth (or Midgard). The two were created from tree trunks, and given gifts by the gods: the breath of life from Odin, understanding from Vili, and senses and physical appearance from Ve.

There are nine realms in Norse mythology. You’ll find humans on Midgard, the “middle earth,” while the gods reside in Asgard. Midgard and Asgard are connected by the Bifrost, a rainbow-colored bridge that brings mortals and gods together.

Most depictions of the god Odin show him wearing an eye patch to cover a lost eye. But rather than losing it in battle, Odin willingly gave up his eye in exchange for a drink from the giant Mimir’s well of wisdom. The well granted him omniscience, the ability to see everything happening in the world.

While Loki was considered neither purely good nor evil, Loki’s children did take a consistently darker turn. Hel was the daughter of Loki and also the goddess of death who ruled over Niflheim, the World of Darkness. Murderers, adulterers, and perjurers ended up in Hel’s world of Niflheim, while warriors who died in battle ascended to Valhalla.

The Gjallarhorn is an instrument used to signal the gods across the cosmos. Heimdall was the sentry of the gods who watched over Asgard. He was in possession of the Gjallarhorn when the giants marched on Asgard during the final battle of Ragnarök. When Heimdall spotted the danger, he sounded the horn to call every god in existence. Today, the National Museum of Denmark houses a replica of the instrument.

According to myth, Ragnarök is the end of the world of gods and men — meaning "Doom of the Gods" in Old Norse. It was said Ragnarök would be preceded by cruel winters and moral chaos, after which giants and demons would come from everywhere to attack and kill the gods. After the final battle, the stars would vanish and the Earth would sink into the sea to rise again sometime in the future.

While women weren’t treated as equals in Viking culture, they did have more rights than most women of their time. Some of the most powerful Norse stories were about the Valkyries, a group of shieldmaidens who served Odin on the battlefield. These heroines selected which warriors would ascend to Valhalla, the Viking afterlife for revered heroes.

Known as the trickster god, Loki constantly changed his appearance and sex to manipulate those around him. For example, not only was he the father of several notable gods including Jormungand, the serpent who kills Thor, but after shapeshifting to a mare, Loki also became the mother of Odin’s horse, Sleipnir. Loki was considered neither purely good nor evil and instead existed to cause chaos.

In Norse mythology, the gods made their home at Asgard, which could only be reached by a rainbow bridge from Earth called Bifrost. Depending on what version of Norse mythology you follow, Asgard was divided into 12 — or more — realms, with different leaders assigned to each. For example, Valhalla was the realm of warriors slain in battle, Thrudheim was home to Thor, and Breidablik was home to Balder.

Originally "Woden's Day," Wednesday was dedicated to the god Odin, king of the Norse gods. Several other days of the week were also named for Norse gods — Sol's Day (Sunday), Mani's Day (Monday), Tyr's Day (Tuesday), Thor's Day (Thursday), and Freya's Day (Friday). Only Saturday does not originate from Norse mythology, but was named for Saturn, an ancient Roman god.

Forged by master craftsmen dwarves, Thor's hammer Mjölnir is one of the most powerful objects in Norse mythology. The god of thunder wore special iron gloves in order to wield the weapon, which he used to battle frost giants and monstrous serpents. In addition to being essentially indestructible, Mjölnir had the ability to return to Thor like a boomerang and even bless marriages.

In Norse mythology, Valhalla is said to be an enormous, majestic "Hall of the Slain." The building's ceiling is thatched with golden shields and its rafters are made of spears. When Norse warriors died in glorious battle, half of them were selected by Odin to come to Valhalla, where they ate, drank, and fought all day and then healed at night, in preparation for their final battle.

The Vikings worshiped many gods, now referred to as the Norse gods. They appeared in Viking sagas and had many human characteristics. Odin was the supreme god, and his son was Thor, the god of thunder, the sky, and agriculture. His chariot was credited with creating the sound of thunder during storms.