Norse / Scandinavian Mythology

I guess the best place to start is with Yggdrasil.
This (below) is a picture I drew of Yggdrasil.
I drew it for two reasons: (1) I don't want to infringe on copyright laws, and more importantly (2) because none of the pictures on the web are entirely accurate. So, I had to make my own to give you the most accurate picture of Yggdrasil.

Ygg (Terrible) drasil (steed) is the name of the 'World Tree' that connects the nine realms. Hel is not directly connected. Some say that it is in Niflheim, but I disagree. Niflheim is a realm that is only connected to Hell (I'll explain more when I discuss Hel). Other sources place Hel just outside of Niflheim, and so that's where I placed Hel on my picture. (But, like I mentioned, Niflheim and Hell are connected).

Before I go any further, I would like to discuss WHY is the tree named Yggdrasil? When I first learned of this, I thought for sure it was a mistake. Why would you name a tree "terrible steed"? Well, first off, I'm going to substitute the word "terrific" for "terrible" because they both come from the same root "terr" but have completely different connotations. As far as the "steed" goes, it is generally agreed that this is Sleipnir, Wodin's 8-legged horse--the fastest being in the multiverse. And, as aforementioned, this didn't make sense at first. But, then I got to thinking; what is the fastest thing in the multiverse? Light! So, Sleipnir represents the speed of light. So, the tree represents the fact that the connections between the realms are traversed at the speed of light (or faster?). Perhaps the new name of the tree should be "Terrific Speed".

There are three roots of what has been termed "The World Tree" (and slightly incorrectly, I might add, because the tree obviously extends to realms clearly outside of this world). Now, unless you are willing to accept that what was translated as "World" actually means "All of existence", then I suggest a new name the tree: "Quantum Tree". Well, back to the roots. Each of the three roots is sustained by a water source (which I have portrayed as cauldrons). One root reaches into the bubbling/boiling spring, called Hevergelmir. Hevergelmir is located in Niflheim (Ice Home). The spring obviously came to be because Muspelheim (Fire Home) is located just below Niflheim and Muspelheim melted much of Niflheim. Niflheim is home to a dragon called Nidhogg, which gnaws at the root of the tree, but never destroys it.

Another root reaches into Urthar's (Fate's) Brunn (Well). It is constantly attended by the three Norns (meaning unknown; possibly twiners; as in those who spin twine), who were the spinners of the threads of fate. The first norn is Urthar (Past/Fate). The second norm is Verdande (Present). And, the third norn is Skuld (Future). This well is said to reside in Jotunheim (Giant's Home). The Norns spin the threads of fate of all beings, and once a thread has been spun, it cannot be cut. The Norns also tend to the well-being of the tree itself.

The last root reaches into Mimmir's (Knowledge's/Wisdom's) Brunn (Well). This is the well, to which Wodin sacrificed his right eye in order to drink from Mimmir's Well in order to gain knowledge/wisdom. Mimmir is the personification of knowledge/wisdom.

Even though, our planet is certainly not in the middle of the universe, it is central to us, and therefore I accept it as the "middle garden".

It is also called Myrk (Murky) Heim (Home) [the etymology of Myrk is not known, but I feel that Murky is a good cognate, because the realm was dark and murky]. It is located below Midgard. Since all of the gods are personifications of various parts of the multiverse, I'm convinced that the dwarves are personifications as well. But, personifications of what?

Hints: All of my sources agree that dwarfs were probably some kind of supernatural beings. One source suggests that the word 'dwarf' may have etymologically come from the Sanskrit word dhvaras (devils). Which fits with the other clues that we have, such as living underground and being great miners. Another source suggests that the modern English word 'dizzy', and if you look up the etymology of the word 'dizzy', there is an uncanny similarity, which makes the word 'dizzy' a very possible cognate with 'dwarf' in my book. That is not to say that the dwarfs were dizzy, but that they made people dizzy with disease. And, in fact, many diseases were blamed on dwarfs in olden days. One disease that affects livestock that still exists today in Norway is called "dwarfshot'. In the Prose Edda, dwarfs originated as 'maggots' in the decaying flesh of Ymir, further attesting to their connection with disease. Perhaps that's it; perhaps dwarfs are the personification of disease and plague.

INTRODUCTION
At first, when it was asked of me what Hel was like, I didn’t know. There’s not a lot of information out there about it. So, I did a ‘deep dive’ to see what I could glean about it. Keep in mind that the female entity, called Hel, and the place that she rules, also called Hel, are intricately linked, and I will be discussing BOTH the place and the ruler of that place.

FOREWORD
The Scandinavian/Norse mythology is rich with symbolism, which I believe contains hidden truths—truths which can be confirmed through NDE research and scientific knowledge/theory. I have used multiple sources in my research, but preeminently the ‘Prose Edda” because it is the oldest text. (The Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson around 1200 A.D.). [Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edda]

ETYMOLOGY
The etymology of Hel is perhaps hall, as in the hall of souls. (Source: Wikipedia)
There is evidence that Hel comes from ancients words that mean covered, concealed place (which is what a Hall is); and the word Hel is closely tied to the old Norse word for cave: Hellir. (Source: Online Etymology Dictionary)

THE DEEP DIVE (Into the depths of Hel):
Apparently, Hel is the place where ALL people go when they die, no matter the quality of their life. Hel is often translated as "The Underworld," because the modern-day word "Hell" has such negative connotations. In fact, Hell was the realm of ALL the dead, both good and bad. It also became known as Hel because Hel is the entity that rules the Underworld. Hel is Loki's only daughter. She not only guards the gates to the Underworld, but rules the entire realm. Here is my picture (a drawing that I made) of Hel...

Hel was/is not a bad person, but because of her association to her father Loki, and her involvement in some of Loki's schemes, Wodin assigned her to be the ruler of the Underworld. She is described as a humanoid female with a skin tone that is pale blue. And she is described as always being sad. No reason is given for her sadness. But, we can surmise that it is because of her assignment.

As for the place called "Hel," not much is known. There is one story about Hel that I can convey. When Balder was killed unknowingly by Hod through Loki's cunning (for full story, click here), Balder's spirit went to Hel. Frigga (the goddess of Love, and Balder's mother) sent Balder's brother Hermod to go to Hel and rescue Balder. Hermod borrowed Wodin's horse, Sleipnir, and traveled 9 nights past the gates of Hel, through total darkness before he found Balder. How he got past Hel is a mystery, but we can surmise that because Sleipnir is the fastest mode of transportation in the entire mutliverse, he must have been going so fast that Hel didn't even see him. When he found Balder, Balder was sitting upon a throne in Hel. So, obviously, Balder was not being mistreated in Hel. Hel is not a place of torture in Scandinavian mythology. Well, not all of it, anyways.

In fact, there is a place of torture in Scandinavian Lore for the really bad people when they die, especially those guilty of murder, adultery, and oath-breaking. It is called, Nastrond. Apparently, Nastrond is a part of Hel, but also a part of Niflheim. It looks like this...

Muspel (Fire) Heim (Home) is just below Hel and Niflheim. In my opinion, the fires of Muspelheim are what cause the spring, Hevergelmir, to bubble and boil. Nidhogg is the king of serpent-like dragons which reside in Niflheim. Nidhogg and his serpentine demons torture those souls that go to Nastrond.

I cannot find the etymology of Nastrond, but my best guess is "Nasty Realm". The word "nasty" has origins in Scandinavian languages and connotates immoral uncleaness. So, I'm guessing I'm right.

Aesir

Vanir

Etymology of the word "Aesir":
- gods; spirits; life force
- the Proto-Indus-European root may be ansu (spirit)
- Sanskrit asu (life force)

Etymology of the word "Vana":
- want
- expressing desire; i.e., lust
- possible cognate: vanity

List of some Aesir:

Vodin / AKA: Wodin => Wisdom/Light
Vili / AKA: Wili => Will; i.e., free-will & will-power
Ve / AKA: We => Way; i.e., the spiritual way
Frigga => Love
(cognates: free, friend)
Thor => Sun #1
(cognate: thunder)
Balder => Sun #2
(cognate: bald)
Vidarr => Sun #3
Sif => Moon
(cognate: sib; sibbling) [well, she is Thor's sister!]
Heimdall => Foresight
(cognates: Heim=Home & Dall=Dally; i.e., the one who dallies in front of the home).

Source: Online Etymology Dictionary

List of some Vanir:

Njorthr => god of fertility and father of Freyr and Freya
Freyr => Lord of Fertility-(Fruitfulness)
Freya => Lady of Fertility-(Fruitfulness)
Skirnir => Freyr's page/messenger
Ottar => Freya's servant

ETYMOLOGY of "FREY"
It is commonly thought (by academia) that Freyr means Lord and Freya means Lady. But, I can find absolutely no support for such suppositions in linguistics (and I'm a linguist). For instance, the words for "lord" in the following languages are as follows:
NORWEGIAN: lord = lord
DUTCH: lord = heer
SWEDDISH: lord = herre
FINNISH: lord = herra

I suggest that the more-likely cognates of "Frey" are as follows: Fruit and Fruition (which stem from roots that mean to "enjoy" something). In modern English, we often use the idiom "to bear fruit," which implies to enjoy the results of one's labors. We even more commonly use the expression "to come to fruition," which means the same thing.

Sources: Online Etymology Dictionary and Google Translate

Wisdom, Will, and Way
(Vodin, Vili, & Ve)

Wisdom, Will and Way created the first humans.

Scholars say that Ask (the first male human) was created from an Ash Tree (because Ask is the old word for Ash tree). I disagree. Scholars also say that Embla (the first female human) was created from an Elm tree. I disagree.

I strongly believe that Ash is a metonymy--a phallic symbol. I also strongly believe that Embla is etymologically related to the word "emblem" which today suggests an outward work of art, but in ancient times and root languages meant an insertion to create a work of art. Another possible cognate of Embla is Emma, which means all encompassing or whole. And, that makes sense, because Embla was the mother of the WHOLE human race.

However, that aside, the spiritual ramifications of the creation of the humans is wonderful. Humans are a combination of Light (from Wodin), of free-will & will-power from Willi, and of spiritual view from Way. These things are innate to all human beings.

There is a story that Ve (Way), the spiritual one, tried to overtake Wodin's throne, but lost and was thrown into Hel (the Afterlife). But during Ragnarok, Wodin will ask Ve to help him in the final battle. I think that this suggests that humans will lose their spirituality in the last days, but when things get really bad, towards the end, they will suddenly get spirituality again.

THE WAR 'TWEEN the AESIR and the VANIR

There was a war between the Aesir and Vanir, and neither side won. In the end of the war, there was a truce and an exchange of personnel.

The Vanir sent Freyr and Njorthr to the Asgard.

The Aesir sent Hoenir and Mimmir to Vanaheim.

When the Aesir gained Freyr and Njorthr there is a symbolism there, which is very profound. Chief among the Aesir is Light (Wodin) and Love (Frigga). It shows that Light and Love can be fruitful and multiply.

When the Vanir gained Hoenir (stork) and Mimmir (knowledge/wisdom), the symbolism is that lust leads to procreation, and must be tempered with wisdom.

THE 3 SUNS:

Thor is the sun which causes lightning storms (we know from 3rd-grade that the sun is the power-house of the water cycle). When Jormungandr kills Thor, that is an eclipse.

Baldr is the sun in winter. Learn more here.

Vidarr is the final sun, that replaces Thor when Thor is killed during Ragnarok.

THE WOOING of GERTHR

Freyr once saw the giant princess, Gerthr, and it was love at first sight (i.e., lust at first sight). Freyr sent his servant/messenger, Skirnir, to convey his love for her and to convince her to meet him.

Long story short, they met and fell in love.

Gerthr was a giant from Jotunheim. What could this mean (symbolicly)? Well, see my section on Jotunheim.

Heimdall
(Heim = home; Dall = dallier)

We all know by now that heim means home, but the only word that fits for Dall is dally. Today, dally means to waste time, but in ancient times it meant to linger. And, that's what Heimdall does; he lingers at the bifrost (rainbow bridge) and keeps a lookout for intruders.

Learn more about the rainbow bridge.

Rainbow bridge in NDEs.

Rainbow Bridge in Science.

Freya (Freyja) [Lady]

Mother of Hnoss (gem) and Gersemi (treasure).

Therefore, Freya may personify the lust for material possessions; and of those she has plenty, namely...

(a) a beautiful necklace (Brisingamen)

(b) a golden chariot pulled by two cats

(d) a cloak of falcon feathers (which turns her into a falcon)

(e) the finest ship ever created (Sithblathnir)

I'm always looking for more enlightenment, wherever I can find it.
Yes, I've been to Buddhist temples and find them fascinating, especially the vibes I get when I'm there. But, that's not where I find most of my enlightenment, oddly enough. Most of my enlightenment comes from the ancients, who have been severely maligned by scholars, who do not have the spiritual understanding to grasp the wisdom of the ancients. Our ancestors were much wiser than we. They occulted truth into their stories (that are akin to parables), but which we nowadays call, "mythology".
For instance, my favorite mythology (and I've studied them all) is that of the Norse/Scandinavians. Thor was NOT a god. He was the personification of the Sun. And his sister/wife Sif was the personification of the Moon. When Thor battles Jormungandr and loses, it is symbolic of a solar eclipse. When Loki sneaks in on Sif and cuts off her golden hair, it is symbolic of a lunar eclipse. And spiritually....
Wodin (cognate of Wisdom) is the personification of Wisdom and Light. His wife, Frigga, is the personification of Love. What can we glean from this? We can glean that the Sun was made out of Light and Love (as Thor is their son). And, as we NDErs all know, everything was made out of Light and Love. But, our ancestors knew it first.
Furthermore, Loki is the personification of entropy. He is constantly going about trying to undo or destroy the workings of the gods. He was NOT born of Wodin and Frigga, but came straight out of ??? (Nobody knows where). Some say that he was from Jotunheim (Ice-Giants' Home). But, that doesn't make sense, since the Jotun don't accept Loki as one of their own. It is more likely that Loki came out of Muspelheim (Fire Home), because in the End (Ragnarok), Loki rides with Muspel and the son's of Muspel to destroy the Aesirs (the Apex Gods). And, by some accounts, the word Loki might mean "Wildfire". The concept of entropy wasn't discovered until 1850, and yet the ancients knew of the law of entropy before even the advent of Christ. But, what can we glean from this spiritually?
Spiritually speaking, we firstly must understand that there is a force in the multiverse, which aims at achieving equilibrium by "stealing" energy from that which is rich in energy and giving it to that which is bereft of energy. Have you ever noticed that when there is a malevolent ghost nearby, you suddenly feel very, very cold? That is because the malevolent ghost is stealing your energy, which you did not freely give. Have you ever noticed that so-called "psychic vampires" suck all the energy out of you? That's because they have a lack of energy of their own. And, why is that exactly? Because they lack love.
Remember that we learned that it was the combination of LOVE & LIGHT (energy) that created the universe (out of raw materials that were pre-existent). Those who have the energy (in the form of matter), but lack the love to hold it together, crave energy, and therefore must "steal" it in order to maintain some semblance of "wholeness"; when all along they could "heal" themselves just by loving others.
Several years ago I discovered that the so-called "God particle" is a photon filled with love. If it is just a photon, with no love, it will become cold and hard and inert. But, if that photon is filled with love, it will be eternal, so long as it continues to be filled with love. LOKI represents LACK. (i.e., that lack of love). That lack of love is destructive and returns everything back into inert equilibrium.

Jotun (Ice Giant) Heim (Home) is the realm of the ice giants, which I think personify the chunks of frozen matter floating about in space. They are the "playdough" with which solar systems and galaxies are made of. [Notice my "play" on words? Freyr wooed Gerther (a Jotun) to "play with" or "enjoy" her company. Freyr and Gerther had a son named Fjolnir. This is the dramatization of creation.