GODS THAT NEVER WALKED, STORIES THAT DID

Gods, giants
and sources.

An eye left in a well. A wolf bound with a band made of impossible things. A fishing line with the world serpent on the end. Read the Norse myths retold from the Younger Edda, and see what a carved stone in Andreas on the Isle of Man really shows.

Open the Norse notebook ↗Thorwald’s Cross

Every sentence is labelled History, Literature or Tradition, with its source beside it.

Drawing of a bearded king on a throne with a spear, two wolves at his feet and two ravens on his shoulders — ODIN, DER GÖTTERVATER · CARL EMIL DOEPLER, PUBLISHED 1882 · AN ARTIST’S IMAGININGCarl Emil Doepler · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

FIELD EDITION 01

For curious readers, families and teachers who like a good story with a source beside it.

How we tell it ↗

THREE THREADS TO PULL

Begin at the well.

All the notebook articles ↗

Retold from the Younger Edda

Odin, the well and the ravens

An eye left as a pledge, and two ravens called Hugin and Munin.

Read the notebook ↗Retold from the Younger Edda

Thor goes fishing

An ox-head for bait, and a catch that goes through the bottom of the boat.

Read the notebook ↗Isle of Man guide

Thorwald’s Cross, Kirk Andreas

Odin and the wolf carved in stone on the Isle of Man.

Read the notebook ↗

A STONE IN ANDREAS

Odin, a raven
and a wolf.

Manx National Heritage describes one face of Thorwald’s Cross as a scene from Ragnarok, and the other as a figure holding a cross. Read what the stone shows, what the runes say and why writers still disagree about it.

Read the Thorwald’s Cross guide ↗

KIRK ANDREAS / ISLE OF MAN

“Is that Odin?” is a fair
question.
“Who says so, and on what
evidence?” is a better one.

AN ORIGINAL READING NOTE

THE NORSE MYTHS TIMELINE

Stories have dates.

Vikings in the Irish Sea in 798, a carved cross at Andreas in the tenth century, Snorri Sturluson born in Iceland in 1178, the first printed Younger Edda in 1665. Follow the myths from stone to page.

Walk the timeline ↗

mid-10th century

Thorwald’s Cross, Andreas

Odin and the wolf on one face, a figure with a cross on the other.

Read the Isle of Man guide ↗

1178

Snorri Sturluson is born

Who wrote down the myths? ↗

A SMALL TEST OF CURIOSITY

Legend, literature or history?

Sort twelve statements into the right pile, then try the eight-question quiz. Explanations after every answer.

Play the sorter ↗

SIX STAMPS TO COLLECT

The Norse myths stamp card.

A question from the well, one from the wolf’s fetter, one from the fishing trip. Answer from the notebook and earn the ink.

Prefer paper? Printable Norse myths packs, with a free sample.

Open the stamp card ↗

THE READING SHELF

Read the Younger Edda free.

Rasmus Björn Anderson’s English translation of the Younger Edda is free on Project Gutenberg. If you want a printed copy, compare translations before the cover catches your eye.

Free texts & the reading shelf ↗

A NOTE FROM THE ISLE OF MAN

Norse gods in Manx stone

Manx National Heritage says the carved crosses of the island show many familiar Viking heroes. Thorwald’s Cross at Andreas is one of the best known.

Read about the cross ↗