Henry Chen 12/17/19 Period 2 - Blog #2

Henry Chen, Blogger #7

12/17/19

Gods, Monsters, and the Apocalypse (Period 2)

Aim: How does Norse mythology compare and contrast with Greek mythology?

Today's lesson opened with a question for discussion: between the Greeks and the Norse, which group is more relatable to modern society? Though more students argued in favor of the Greeks, arguments for the Norse sprang up in no small quantity. One major point which many students gave is that the Greeks valued sophistication (as far as culture goes) and reason more than the Norse (although the Norse valued wisdom to some extent), while the Norse placed excessive emphasis on honor and valor in combat. In addition, the Greeks defined good and evil more than the Norse did, like how today's society has ingrained good and evil into common sense. On the other hand, the Norse had a more grim, realistic outlook on life and death that contemporary society has accepted. Norse women were also more equal to Norse men than Greek women were to Greek men. 

A video featuring the words of famed author Rick Riordan (whose works Mrs. Fusaro does not have any disdain for, in fact) gave a brief overview of Norse myth. It ended with the fascinating detail that Santa Claus is a sort of fusion between Odin and Saint Nicholas. 

Then began an overview of the central gods of Norse myth. 

Odin

The most famous of the Norse gods (at some point) was Odin, the Allfather, leader of the Aesir (to give all of the many names of this god would take until Ragnarok). He suffered greatly, losing an eye and hanging while impaled for nine days, for the sake of finding wisdom. On this task he succeeded; for example, he uncovered runes of power, which he gave to empower the race of men. Odin is considered the benefactor of man in general. 

Odin made sacrifices to postpone Ragnarok. One could argue that Odin, who knew Ragnarok was an inevitability, made these sacrifices in futility; after all, if the end cannot be truly stopped, is there any use in delaying it? But then again, we're all headed for the grave too, aren't we? Should we jump in early because of that knowledge? 

Wednesday is named after him.

Balder

A god of love and purity (and justice, oddly), Balder was beloved by almost all the universe. At some point, his mother, Frigg, discovered that he was doomed to die, and forged pacts with all the things in the universe to prevent them from harming him. She chose not to forge a pact with the harmless mistletoe plant, however, and Loki saw opportunity to work evil; when the rest of the gods hurled various objects at Balder for fun (as the projectiles would refuse to strike him), Loki convinced Hodor, Balder's brother, to hurl a twig of mistletoe at him. This Hodor did, and the twig struck Balder with such force that he dropped dead. 

Why mistletoe? Because, in fact, mistletoe is a parasite that feeds off of other plants, despite its harmless appearance. It embodies deception, just as Loki does, and the Norse hated deception. There was no honor in using trickery to harm others; better to brutally tear someone to shreds of flesh than to stab them in the back or poison them. Thuys, there was no end for Balder more fitting, more horrible than weaponized mistletoe, guided by the words of Loki. 

Thor

Thor, god of thunder and storms, possessed strength beyond that of all the other gods. Only he could wield the hammer Mjölnir, and only while wearing the iron gloves known as Járngreipr. Except thieves stole the hammer on several occasions, and the thieves didn't need gloves of any kind. 

Thursday is named after him. 

Freyr and Freya

Freyr, brother of Freya, was a god of kingship, virility, and good weather. 

Freya, sister of Freyr, was a goddess of love and fertility. She taught the gods and men (the race, not the sex) how to perform seidr, the magic that evokes the power contained within the runic language (which wasn't used for communication). She also took men who fell in battle to Fólkvangr, where they prepared for Ragnarok just as those in Valhalla did. 

Friday is named after one or the other. 

Frigg

Frigg, greatest of the Aesir goddesses, was the wife of Odin. Her character is difficult to define, since most accounts of her give only few details to work with. 

Loki

Loki, the "black sheep" of the gods, was born the son of a giant, not a god. He was selfish and cowardly, and his tricks caused immense trouble for the gods. But though he was not actually part of Odin's family, he was a sworn brother of Odin. To the Norse, these "sworn" ties mattered far more than actual blood ties. As such, despite his unruly behavior, the gods tolerated Loki on most occasions (Loki had some poison poured on him for killing Balder) to preserve the bond between he and them. 

It is important to note that Loki was not evil. There existed malignance and nihilism in him, but he proved himself helpful to the gods on several occasions as well. Though Loki acted for his own benefit, and did so with dishonor more often than not, good sometimes came out of his actions. Loki's capability for good deeds probably contributed to the gods' tolerance of him. This can extend to not just godlike figures like Loki, but also to real people; there is arguably the capability for benevolence in everyone, even if an individual may seem to do nothing but wrong (I prefer to argue that the opposite--that everyone is evil--but I will save it for another day). 

Alas, Loki and his children will fight against Odin in Ragnarok. Despite what we have said of him, he will side with evil in the end days. 

Tyr

The god of War Tyr was not always a minor Aesir figure; he used to be the greatest of the gods in Norse myth. He lost that role to Odin when the Viking Age came around the corner. 

Tuesday is named after him. 

---

Student Reflection: The Greeks and Norse had drastically different views, cultures, and religious beliefs. Regardless of which has affected today's society more, it is foolish to assume that said society would be the same without the influence of both ancient societies. 

The gods of Norse myth are revered for many things--strength, wisdom, purity--but they will all fall in the end, when Ragnarok comes; there is no trait so great that will save a man, giant, or god from his doom (unless you are the being that succeeds Odin after Ragnarok; you have it easy). But even if the end must come, we don't have to give in to it. 

Be wary of things and people that seem harmless; the most seemingly-harmless things can end up being the most deadly. 

Just as you aren't completely good or evil, neither is anyone else. Have some faith in those who seem lost, but don't let that turn into naiveté.  

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is real mythology. 

---

Oh, and Santa Claus's red suit is a product of Macy's design. Highlight of the day.