Fenrir bites off Tyr’s hand. Illustration from a 17th century Icelandic manuscript.Tyr is the god of war and justice in Norse mythology, and the etymology of his name suggests that he once was at the top of the Germanic pantheon, although he had been replaced by Odin/Wodan relatively early.Fenrir is one of the children of… Read More Fenrir and Tyr
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth has fascinated generations of readers. This article seeks to examine some of the influences on his works, such as the Icelandic Sagas and Old English Poetry, such as Beowulf.… Read More Mythological Inspirations to Tolkien’s Middle Earth
Originally posted on Tattúínárdǿla saga:
A long time ago, in a North Atlantic far far away… Introduction Earlier this week I was drawn into an enlightening discussion with my colleague Ben Frey about the complicated textual tradition that lies behind George Lucas’s “Star Wars,” which few outside the scholarly community realize is…
The myths and legends of the Proto-Indo-Europeans have influenced the world like no other be it through the great Greek Classics, the Icelandic Sagas or the Indian Vedas. But what exactly did they themselves believe in and how did they practice their faith?… Read More Proto-Indo-European Religion
Ragnarok describes the end of the world in Norse Mythology. Or does it really? Not only the world itself is reborn after its destruction, but one of the gods as well. Could this be an indication for reincarnation in Germanic myth or perhaps even evidence for a pan-Indo-European phenomenon of rebirth?… Read More Ragnarok and Reincarnation in Norse Mythology
Report on the ‘Martin Burr Fund’ grant offered for a monograph on the Norse God Loki written by Riccardo Ginevra (Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University) The historical and comparative approach to Indo-European poetic language and myth has developed greatly in the second half of the 20th century, particularly thanks to the efforts of, among […]… Read More How linguistics helps us reconstruct ancient fire mythology — The Philological Society Blog
All cultures have their own, unique story of creation, some of which we may be more familiar with than others. The ancient Greeks believed that in the beginning there was Chaos, the Norse that there was Ginnungagap, ‘the big gap’ of nothingness between the forces of fire and ice. But what if these myths, together with a few others across the Eurasian continent, had a common, Proto-Indo-European origin?… Read More The Proto-Indo-European Myth Of Creation
The Gods of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon encompassed archetypes such as the Sky Father, chieftain of all gods, and his dragon-slaying son, the God of Thunder. … Read More Ancient Mythology: The Proto-Indo-European Pantheon
European Origins 