In the beginning there was nothing but a dark void, much like in Egyptian and Greek creation theory. The first being was Ymir the Giant, the first of a race of Frost Giants. Ymir fathered a six-headed son who suckled on a cow (the cosmos) called Audumla that fed by licking rhinestone until it was eventually shaped to the form of a man. This man was called Buri and was the first of the Gods. Buri then gave birth to Bor who married a Giant called Bestla and they gave birth to Gods such as Odin, Vili and Ve.
The Norse Gods can be separated into two different groups; the Aesir who are the main Gods and are protectors and war-like, and the Vanir, lesser peace loving Gods.
The world in which the Norse Gods live is called Yggdrasil, a giant tree (the universe) that is split into nine worlds. The first level is Asgard, home of the Aesir Gods. The second level is Vanaheim, home of the Vanir Gods. The third level is Alfheim, home of elves. The home of humans is Midgard (Middle Earth), situated on the fourth level. Midgard is connected to Asgard by a rainbow bridge made from frost. The fifth Level is Jotunheim where the ice giants live. The sixth is Svartalfheim, home of the dark elves. The seventh is Nidavellir, home of the dwarfs, and the eighth is Niflheim, home of the dead. The final level, the ninth, is Muspelheim, and this is the home of fire giants and demons.
Odin
Odin, or Woden as he is sometimes called in Anglo Saxon, is the king of all Gods, the wisest and most powerful of all Gods. Drinking from Mimir’s fountain ensured he attained all the knowledge of the universe, but the giant Mimir made him sacrifice an eye first before drinking. First and foremost a war God, Odin lives in and is king of Asgard. As Valfather, he also lives in Valhalla, where the most fearsome warriors go after death in battle. Odin, who often visits Midgard (earth) dressed as an old vagrant, is also a fantastic witch and invented runes, a magically charged set of symbols and the alphabet of the Germanic peoples. He sacrificed himself and hung upside down from the Yggdrasil tree for nine days without food or water, and while there came up with the runes and gave them to the people for spelling and magic. Along with Freya he’s considered the greatest practitioner of Shamanism amongst Gods.
Frigg
Frigg is the Goddess of Love, Marriage and Fertility and is Odin’s wife, making her a major Goddess of the Aesir. She has sacred knowledge of the destiny of every living being and is said to weave the fate of them all. This is related to the Norse concept of Wyrd, where patterns of the past influence the patterns of the future.
Loki
Loki is the Norse God of Mischief and Strife. He is the half-brother of Odin but is a giant and so a sworn enemy of his half-brother and all the Aesir Gods. Loki started out as a friend to them but often took the giants side in disagreements and so was cast out. Loki can transform into anything and often did to cause distress to the Gods. He once transformed himself into an old hag and tricked Frigg into telling him that the only thing that could kill her son Baldur was mistletoe. He then went to a celebration where Baldur was showing off his strength by allowing people to throw spears at him. Tricking Baldur’s blind brother Hod (the God of Dark and Night) he helped guide Hod’s spear to Baldur and in doing so used the mistletoe branch to kill him instantly. This, and the murder of Frigg, Odin’s wife, meant he and Odin became mortal enemies.
Thor
Thor is the God of Thunder and War and protector of Midgard (earth) and Asgard (heavens). The son of Odin, he is the strongest of the Norse Gods, uses a hammer (moilnir) as his weapon and wears a belt that increases his strength.
Freya
Freya is a Love Goddess of Sex and Promiscuity with a name that translates as Lady. Initially a Goddess of the Vanir, she became an honorary Goddess of the Aesir. Freya is one of the main Goddesses in Wicca as she is also a Goddess of Magic and Divination. She wears a necklace called Brisingamen, forged by dwarves, which makes her irresistible to anyone she wants. Her husband was turned into a horrific sea creature by the Gods and as vengeance she swore to kill all the Norse Gods. After learning magic she set about killing them, but the Gods loved her spirit and made her a Goddess, then gave her husband a place in Valhalla even though he did not die a hero. Freya is called upon for guidance and to help with magic. She is also associated with the faerie realms, and as Goddess is entitled to half the souls that die in battle and go to Valhalla, as she guides them after death.
Hel
Hel, a giantess, is the daughter of Loki and Goddess of the Underworld (Helheim). Half her face is beautiful and half is terribly ugly, whilst the top half of her body is beautiful and the bottom half is dead and rotten. To some this symbolises the light and dark in all of us. But Hel is often a vengeful and hateful Goddess, having been sent by Odin to the underworld for being the ugly daughter of Loki. She is extremely protective of the dead and guards Helheim with great care. Those wishing to receive wisdom or information from the dead, or find loved ones, may find they do not always pass her judgement.
Tyr
Tyr is a War God like Odin and Thor, though he only has one hand as it was bitten off by the wolf Fenrir, son of Loki. When Fenrir was captured he refused to be bound by the Gods unless someone put their hand in his mouth as a symbol of good faith. Tyr was the only God brave enough to do this and his hand was bitten off. He was then renowned by the Gods for his bravery and became a God of Intelligence and Council, as well as Justice and Law.
Baldur
Baldur was the first son of Odin and is God of the Sun and Beauty. Pure, innocent and a great warrior, he was loved by both Gods and man. He had a dream that he was going to be killed and so his mother Frigg insisted everything on earth, sea and sky vow not to hurt him. Everything agreed except mistletoe and when Loki found out about this he tricked Baldur’s blind brother Hod into killing him.
In the future, according to Norse legend, there will be a great battle, called Ragnarok, between all the Gods and Goddesses. The nine worlds will be destroyed and the universe devoured. Odin and Loki will fight to the death. Baldur and Hod will then be resurrected and rule the new world in Odin’s place.
Celtic Gods and Goddesses
In the beginning there was nothing but the sea, and then a piece of land appeared and when the sea met the land and made froth a white mare was born, made of sea-foam and called Eiocha. On the land a tree grew, born of Eiocha. By eating its berries Eiocha became pregnant and gave birth to the God Cernunnos. While in childbirth Eiocha grabbed at the tree, ripped off some of the bark and threw it into the sea, and this bark turned into the giants of the deep.
Cernunnos watched the giants as they played together, mated and started families. Soon he grew jealous and wanted a family of his own, so he and Eiocha mated and gave birth to the Gods Maponos, Tauranis, and Teutates, as well as the Goddess Epona. After the new Gods had grown Eiocha became disenchanted by the land and wanted to return to the water, so she transformed into Tethra, Goddess of the Sea.
When the Gods of the land became bored, with no subjects to rule over or worship them, they created man from the wood of trees. Cernunnos made wild animals and became their watcher and protector. Teutates created weapons and gave them to man to hunt. Maponos created music and gave man and animals a voice. Tauranis created lightning and thunder and would often throw them to the ground in a thunderous roar so the people and animals would flee in fear.
The giants of the sea saw these Gods being worshipped and loved by their creations and became jealous, so they came together to overthrow the land Gods. Their plan was to flood the land, kill the Gods underwater and take over. Tethra (Eiocha) heard their plans and went onto land to warn her children. And so the Gods were ready for the sea giants when they flooded the lands. They climbed to the top of the oak tree where the water did not reach. Tauranis created lightning like never seen before and aimed them at the sea giants. Maponos sang so loud it broke the sky, which he then hurled at the sea giants causing great asteroids. Teutates took deadly aim with his bow and arrow. This war broke the land into segments. Earth split and the water drained into great seas between the lands. Epona rescued one man, one woman and many animals from the great flood and took them to the safety of Cernunnos Forest, where they mated and created a new race. This new race was the Gods of the Tuatha