TRUYỆN CỔ TÍCH TIẾNG ANH

Old Norse Freyja
Goddess of fertility and war. Originally one of the Vanir. She was the daughter of Njord, and the sister of Frey. Her daughters, by Od, are named Hnoss, who is so beautiful that whatever is valuable and lovely is named "treasure" after her, and Gersemi.
She lived in Folkvang [battlefield] and each day chose half of the slain warriors to split with Odin. She had a husband named Od, whom she somehow lost and cried golden tears for. Many believe Od is Odin.
Her chariot was drawn by male cats (their names are never stated) and she owned the precious Brisings' necklace, which she slept with four dwarves to acquire. She also owned a feather coat which she could use to fly between the worlds.
After she went to live with the Aesir as a hostage, she taught them -- including Odin -- seidr. Some sources say Friday is named after her.

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Frigg
Goddess of marriage. She is the wife of Odin, and Friday is named for her (according to some). Her abode was called Fensalir [The Ocean Halls] and she weaved the clouds.
Another name for Frigg was probably Saga [ON Sága]. In the Prose Edda it states that Saga was an Aesir goddess who dwelt in a "big place" called Sokkvabekk. That is the only mention of her. In the Poetic Edda she is also only mentioned once:
Sokkvabekk called is the fourth, which cool waters
ripple round about;
there Odin and Saga all their days drink,
glad from golden cups.
- Grimnismal, Lee Hollander tr.
That is all that is said about her in the Norse mythological sources. As Hollander points out she is probably identical with Frigg since she is said to drink with Odin (Frigg's husband) "all their days" and Fensalir, Frigg's hall, means "Ocean Halls" which is comparable to Sokkvabekk, "Suken Hall".
Some people call Saga a goddess of history or a goddess of poetry, possibly because the word Saga is connected to the word for history, and also refer to her as a daughter of Odin but there is no discernable basis for any of this.

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Fulla (Volla)
Listed by Snorri as one of the twelve divine goddesses, she appears mainly to function as Frigg's maid, taking care of the goddess's shoes. She also, sometimes, functions as Frigg's messenger. Some believe she is Frigg's sister. Snorri stated she was a virgin with long golden hair who wore a gold band around her head. It has been suggested that this band represents the binding around a sheaf of grain, making her a fertility goddess.
When Hermod rode to Hell to ask Hel if Baldr could return to Asgard, Nanna gave him a gold ring to give to Fulla, among other gifts. Fulla is called a maid of Frigg in The Lay of Gimnir in the Poetic Edda, and is sent on an errand by Frigg. We also have mention of Fulla in Gisla saga Surssonar:
My Fulla, fair faced, the goddess of stones
Who gladdens me much, shall hear of her friend
Standing straight, unafraid in the rain of the spears...

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Old Norse Gefjun
A prophetic virgin goddess and a member of the Aesir and Vanir. All women who die virgins go to her hall. She was also a fertility goddess. In one myth, Gylfi, king of Sweden, tells Gefjon, who was disguised as a beggar, that she could have as much of Sweden as she could plough with four oxen in one day. She traveled to Jotunheim and found her four oxen sons whom she had by a giant (she isn't a virgin in this myth!). She returned to Sweden in Midgard with her sons and ploughed all of the land now known as Zealand so it became part of Denmark, thereby tricking Gylfi. Her name means "Giver".
Old Norse Heimdallr
Watches the rainbow bridge, Bifrost , for the coming of the frost giants at the Ragnarok, at which time he will sound his horn Gjallar. In the Ragnarok, he and Loki will kill each other. He never sleeps, can see in the dark, and can hear sheep wool growing. His dwelling place is Himinbjorg [heavenly mountains]. Nine sisters, signifying the waves, gave birth to him. As Rig, he begets Thrall, Carl, and Earl, representing the three classes of man; slave, freeman, and noble.
Hel
Daughter of Loki and the giant Angurboda. She is the sister of Fenrir (Fenris-wolf) and Jormungand (Midgard serpent). She is the goddess of the underworld. Her realm was Niflheim and her hall, Elvidnir [misery]. She was described as half white and half black.

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Old Norse IÃ?unn
Goddess of youth, her name means "The Rejuvenating One". She is married to Bragi and is the keeper of the apples which keep the gods eternally young. The only myth we have concerning Idun is the story of her kidnapping by the giant Thiazi.
Odin, Loki, and Hoenir, were on one of their travels when they happened upon an ox and, since they were so very hungry, decided to cook it. For some reason however, the meat would not cook.
As they were trying to discern the reason for this travesty a huge eagle perched above them in an oak tree told them he knew why the ox wasn't cooking and would show them how to roast it if they would first let him eat his fill.
No sooner had they agreed than the eagle ate such a great portion of the ox that Loki got angry, took a pole and struck at the eagle. The eagle flew upwards with the pole and Loki stuck to the other end. He told Loki he would only let him down if Loki agreed to kidnap Idun and her age-defying apples.
When the gods arrived in Asgard Loki did as he had promised and lured Idun outside of Asgard to where the eagle was waiting. The eagle, who was none other than the giant Thiazi in his eagle skin cloak, took Idun to his home called Thrymheim in the mountains of Jotunheim.
The gods began to quickly age once the source of their immortality had been stolen so they decided Loki should have to go and fetch her back. After all, he was the one who had caused all the trouble.
Loki borrowed Freya's falcon cloak and flew to Thrymheim where he found Idun alone. He turned her into a nut and flew back to Asgard as fast as he could, holding Idun in his claws.
As soon as Thiazi returned and found Idun gone, he put on his eagle cloak and flew towards Asgard. His wings beat so quickly and with such force that he caused strong storm winds to hamper Loki's escape. The gods could see the eagle coming in pursuit of Loki so as soon as Loki was safe inside the bounds of Asgard they built a bonfire which set fire to Thiazi's wings. Once the giant fell to the gound the Aesir killed him. Afterwards, his daughter Skadi came to avenge his death.
There is debate as to whether or not Idun's apples were a late ad***ion to the mythology, something inspired by Greek or Irish legends. In an early form of the tale in the Haustlong which was composed by Thjodolf of Hvin the court poet of Harold Fairhair who lived ca 860 Idun's absence causes the Aesir to age but there is no mention of apples.

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Old Norse Nj?ảrð variant Niord.
God of the wind and sea, also called god of chariots and the giving god. It was to him that those wishing for protection on travels or desiring a good catch while fishing were supposed to pray. He was said to be so rich that he could bestow wealth on any who prayed to him for it.
A member of the Vanir, he was sent with his son to the Aesir as a hostage after the war between the two races of deities and was to return to the Vanir at Ragnarok. After becoming a member of the Aesir, Odin made Njord a priest of sacrifices according to the Ynglinga Saga. It further states that the Swedish people believed Njord ruled over the growth of seasons and prosperity.
His home was called Noatun [harbour] and his wife was the giantess Skadi who married him because he had beautiful feet. She later left him because they couldn't decide in whose dwelling they should live.
Njord was the father of Frey and Freya, we are never directly given their mother's name, however, Leach states Ingun was their mother - maybe he does so because Frey is referred to as Ingunar-Frey. In Lokasenna Loki taunts Njord by saying that he fathered Frey on his own sister. We again hear that Frey and Freya were the children of Njord and his sister in the Ynglinga Saga and that sibling marriage was allowed amongst the Vanir but prohibited by the Aesir.
Snorri tells us that Frey and Freya were born after Skadi left Noatun for Thrymheim. However, in the Poetic Edda Skadi is frequently called Njord's wife even when Frey and Freya are grown. Snorri's Edda has Njord as the one who sends for Skirnir to ask Frey why he is angry yet in the Sk?ưrnism?Ăl, Skadi is the one who calls Skirnir. She also refers to Frey as her son.
We hear about an older aspect of Njord (as the opposite ***) in Tacitus' Germania where he describes the worship of Nerthus by the Danish. Nerthus is the latin equivalent of the Old Norse word Njord.
Tacitus calls her Mother Earth and relates the ritual surrounding her. Nerthus' sanctuary was in a sacred grove on an island and within the grove was a cart under a covering. When the goddess came to her sanctuary the priest was aware of it and would walk alongside her cart pulled by cows as Nerthus visited places.
While the goddess was among people no war was allowed and all weapons were put away. Once the goddess was brought back to her shrine, she, her cart, and its covering, were all washed in a lake by slaves (maybe this is the origin of the Norwegians using wash day in place of Saturn's day - see the section on Loki regarding Sataere). The slaves were supposedly "swallowed" by the lake afterwards.
Since Skadi is a gender neutral name and even given in the Volsunga Saga as a masculine name, one wonders if Njord was originally the wife and Skadi the husband; note the similarities between she and Ull.
Even into Viking times the worship of Njord was widely spread in Norway as evident by the number of place names which incorporated his name - over twice as many as those for Odin.

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Old Norse Óðinn
Leader of the Aesir. Odin had a myriad of names including Allfather, Ygg, Bolverk [evil doer], and Grimnir. He also had many functions including being a god of war, poetry, wisdom, and death. His halls were called Gladsheim Valaskjalf and Valhalla. Odin's high seat, Hlidskialf, was in Valaskjalf. It was from this throne that he could see over all the world. Valhalla is where he gathered his portion of the slain warriors, Einheriar (Einherjar), whom the valkyries had chosen.
The valkyries would serve mead which forever flowed from the udder of Odin's goat, Heidrun. They also served the warriors meat that came from the boar Saehrimnir, which the cook Andhrimnir would prepare for eating by boiling it in the cauldron Eldhrimnir. The boar magically came back to life before the next meal. After eating, the warriors would go outside the hall and fight each other to the death. They were, of course, brought back to life before the next feast. All of this fighting was practice for when Odin would lead the Einheriar in the final battle, Ragnarok.
Odin had a spear named Grungir which never missed its mark and a bow which unleashed ten arrows with every pull. He also owned a magic ring called Draupnir which created nine of itself every night. It was this ring that Odin laid on his son Balder's funeral pyre and which Balder returned to Odin from the underworld. Another one of Odin's prized possesions was his wonderful steed named Sleipnir which had eight legs.
The horse was the offspring of Loki, who in mare form seduced a giant's horse named Svadilfari. Sleipnir could travel to the underworld and through the air. Odin also had two wolves, Geri and Freki, and two ravens, Hugin [thought] and Munin [memory]. He sent his ravens out every day to gather knowledge for him.
Odin sacrificed himself for knowledge by hanging on the world tree, Yggdrasil, which means Ygg's horse. Ygg is a name for Odin and horse is a metaphor for the gallows. He thereby learns the runes. Another sacrifice he made for wisdom was his eye. He gave it up in order to drink from the Well of Mimir which bestowed great knowledge. Because of this, he is typically depicted as having one eye. He is also depicted as wearing a cloak, being old, having a long grey beard, and wearing a wide brimmed hat down low over his face to conceal his one-eyed visage.
Odin was destined to die at Ragnarok; Fenris-Wolf swallowed him. Knowing his fate, he still chose to embrace it and do battle. Showing the true warrior ethic. He was the god of warriors and kings, not the common man. Many heroes genealogies start with Odin, including Sigurd. His name is not found in many place names and therefore it is believed that not many people worshipped him. He was thought to be a traitorous god, as shown in the sagas, who would strike down a warrior at his whim.

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Old Norse Skaði, variant Skade
Frequently referred to as the goddess of skis or snow shoes, she travelled on skis, carried a bow, and hunted. She was the daughter of the giant Thiazi [Old Norse ?zjázi, variant Thiassi].
Thiazi was the son of a very rich giant named Alvaldi [Olvaldi]. When Alvaldi died Thiazi and his brothers Idi and Gang divided their inheritance by each taking a large mouthful of gold.
After Thiazi was killed by the Aesir as related in the section on Idun, Skadi took up arms and went to Asgard for vengence. The Aesir offered her compensation for the death of her father - she was allowed to choose a husband from among the gods.
There was only one small catch, she had to pick her new husband based only on the appearance of his feet. She picked Njord by mistake, assuming the best looking feet must have belonged to the god Balder.
As further compensation Skadi demanded that one of the Aesir make her laugh. Hence, Loki tied one end of a rope around the beard of a goat and the other end of the rope around his testicles, he then pulled on the rope making both the goat and himself bellow.
As a final form of appeasement Snorri tells us that Odin threw Thiazi's eyes into the sky turning them into stars. This contradicts a passage in the Poetic Edda in Hárbarzljóð which has Thor claiming to have been the one to kill Thiazi and fling his eyes into the sky.
After their marriage, Njord and Skadi could not agree on where to live so they took turns going to Thrymheim (Skadi's abode after Thiazi's death) in the mountains for nine nights and then Noatun on the shore for nine nights. Skadi didn't like Njord's home, and he didn't like her's, so they split up.
From the Ynglinga Saga we learn that after Skadi left Njord she became involved with Odin and had numerous sons by him, one being Saeming who is also listed in the Prose Edda as a son of Odin. However, in the preface to Heimskringla Snorri writes "Eyvind Skaldaspiller also reckoned up the ancestors of Earl Hakon the Great in a poem called 'Haleygjatal', composed about Hakon; and therein he mentions Saeming, a son of Yngvefrey."
The last thing we know about Skadi is that she was the one who positioned the venomous snake over Loki's head after the Aesir bound him.

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Tyr
God of war. He was the only god brave enough to put his hand in the Fenris- wolf's mouth so the gods could bind it. The wolf bit off his right hand. There is much debate about his lefthandedness. In the norse culture the right hand was given for a pledge, which could be why the right hand was placed in the wolf's mouth. It has also been noted, however, that the offering of the right hand is to show that it is free of weapons. A left handed person was sometimes considered evil because he could use a weapon with his left hand even though he shook with his right hand.
Tuesday is named for Tyr who was known as Tiw, or Tiu, by the Anglo-Saxons. He must have been an important god in the pantheon prior to the mythology we were handed down in the eddas to have one of the days of the week named after him.
Since Tuesday is the English name given in place of the name of the day of the week sacred to Mars for the romans, we know that the old englishmen thought of Tyr as being smiliar to Mars.

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Ull
Old Norse Ullr, variant Uller
God of archery, the hunt, skiers and snowshoes; basically a male Skadi. His weapon was a longbow made out of Yew and he lived in Ydal [Yew Dales]. He was called upon for help in duels and the skalds frequently used "Ull's ship" to mean sheild.
Ull was the son of Sif and called the stepson of Thor. Rydberg, in his Teutonic Mythology, argued that Ull's father was Aurvandil based on evidence in Saxo. However Ull's father's name is never stated.
Ull, which means glorious, was a part of many place names during the viking age (the only deities with more in Norway were Frey/Freya), therefore, he is considered to be an ancient god who was widely worshipped.
In Saxo's Danish History we learn that Oller (Ull) was put in the place of Odin who had been exiled. Oller was the head of the Aesir for ten years until the other gods decided to end Odin's exile.
The only other information Saxo gives is "he [Oller/Ull] was such a cunning wizard that he used a certain bone, which he had marked with awful spells, wherewith to cross the seas, instead of a vessel; and that by this bone he passed over the waters that barred his way as quickly as by rowing."

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